Download Direct and Indirect Objects

Verb
Complements

Some verbs can stand alone in a sentence,
and the sentence will still make sense.
Jim runs.
 Sally ate.
 Bill cried.


Yet, there are quite a few verbs that can’t
stand alone. Most of the time, these verbs
need another word or phrase to make the
sentence complete.
Jim bought. [What?]
 Sally gave [What?]
 Bill threw. [What?]



A noun or a pronoun that receives the action of
a verb is called the direct object.
An action verb in combination with a direct
object will often make the sentence complete.
Jim bought candles [candles is the direct
object]
 Sally gave four dollars to the Salvation Army.
[dollars is the direct object]
 Bill threw the ball. [ball is the direct object].
 Bill threw it. [it is a direct object]

o
Remember that that there is a clear
difference between a subject and direct
object. A direct object receives the action,
whereas the subject is performing the
action [where an action verb is involved].
o
Indirect objects answer the question to
what or for whom the action is
completed. An indirect object always
I lent Sally my tools.
comes before the
direct object.


I lent Sally my tools.
I cooked Bob a nice dinner
Predicate Adjectives
 Predicate
Adjectives are adjectives that
follow a linking verb and describe the
verb’s subject.
 Examples:
 The airplanes were loud.
 Subject= airplanes linking verb= were
predicate adjective= loud
Sentence Pattern
 Subject
 Sam
linking verb PA
was anxious. (Anxious describes
Sam)
 The girls are goofy. (Goofy describes the
girls)
 I am sleepy. (Sleepy describes me.)
Sentence Pattern
 Subject
 Sam
linking verb PA
was anxious. (Anxious describes
Sam)
 The girls are goofy. (Goofy describes the
girls)
 I am sleepy. (Sleepy describes me.)