We explain what the direct object is in syntax, how it is identified and various examples. Also, the indirect object.
What is the direct object?
In the syntactic study of prayers, the direct object or direct object is a grammatical object that complements the information of a transitive verb. In fact, without this type of complement, these types of verbs cannot really express their meaning.
It can also be understood as one of the syntactic functions performed by a sentence element, which can be: nouns, pronouns, a noun phrase, some prepositional phrases or a subordinate proposition. Thus, the direct object necessarily appears when there is a transitive verb, and designates what or who receives the action expressed in the verb.
For example: John bought a flower.
- Juan: subject sentence
- bought: main verb
- a flower: direct object
Therefore, direct objects are part of the predicate, and in that sense they are complementary to the verb, not to the sentence subject. For this reason, when the sentence is changed from active voice to passive voice, this complement starts to play the role of subject of the sentence:
A flower It was bought by Juan.
In the syntactic notation of the sentence, the direct object or direct object is usually abbreviated OD or CD, respectively. In some grammars nowadays in disuse, it used to be called "first complement".
How to identify the direct object?
There are many ways to identify the direct object. Let's see some separately:
- Insert in the sentence the personal accusative pronouns "lo", "la", "los" and "las". What these pronouns substitute in the sentence is the direct object. Thus, for example, the sentence “My father will buy a TV", can become "My father it will buy ”, identifying the direct object:“ a television ”or also“ it ”. The same happens with “Your friends told me your adventure", Which happens to be" Your friends the they counted ”.
- The direct object can also answer the questions: "what?", "What thing?", "Who?", "Who?" or "to what?", although care must be taken in these cases not to confuse it with the sentence subject. So, for example, to the sentence “Julius Caesar submitted to the gauls"We can ask him:" Who did Julius Caesar subdue? " and the answer would be the direct object: "to the Gauls"; or Ricardo prepared GazpachoWe can ask: “What did Ricardo prepare?”, and the answer will be the direct object: “gazpacho”.
- Finally, as we saw before, when converting the sentence from active voice to passive voice, the direct object changes function and becomes a sentence subject. Thus, "Maria eats pastrami"Becomes"A pastrami it is eaten by Maria ”.
Direct object examples
Here are some different sentence examples, in which the direct object is highlighted:
- Mice eat cheese.
- The postman brought you a package.
- Mom's car was stolen yesterday.
- My grandfather takes a lot of pills.
- In Europe they grow wine and olives.
- Your text message was very late.
- Enrique needs help.
- Typhoons always destroy Japan.
- Yesterday they offered it to us again.
- Did you bring them home again?
- Apollo cursed the Greeks with a plague.
Indirect object
Another common complement in the syntactic analysis of sentences is the indirect object (OI) or indirect object (CI), which, although it also accompanies transitive verbs, is not usually mandatory, as the direct object is. It is the sentence element that is benefited or recipient of the action of the verb, without being that on which it falls directly, and in general it is usually a person or animated entity, more than one thing.
An example of an indirect object appears in the sentence:
Juan buys her a flower to his girlfriend.
We see that, although "a flower" is still the direct object, "to his girlfriend" now expresses who benefits or is the recipient of the action, and that will be the indirect object.