The object

The object is a secondary part of the sentence

referring to some other part of the sentence and
expressed by a verb, an adjective, a stative or, very
seldom, an adverb completing, specifying, or restricting
its meaning.

She has bought a car.

I‘m glad to see you.
She was afraid of the dog.
He did it unexpectedly to himself
The object can be expressed by:

1. A noun in the common case or a nominal phrase, a substantivized adjective

or participle.

I saw the boys two hours ago.

The nurses were clad in grey.
First of all she attended to the wounded.
Greedily he snatched the bread and butter from the plate.

2. A noun-pronoun. Personal pronouns are in the objective case, other

pronouns are in the common case, or in the only form they have.

I don‘t know anybody here.

I could not find my own car, but I saw hers round the corner.
He says he did not know that.
3. A numeral or a phrase with a numeral.

At last he found three of them high up in the hills.

4. A gerund or a gerundial phrase.

He insists on coming.
A man hates being run after.

5. An infinitive or an infinitive phrase.

She was glad to be walking with him.

Every day I had to learn how to spell pages of
words.
6. Various predicative complexes.

She felt the child trembling all over.

I want it done at once.
Everything depends on your coming in time.

7. A clause (then called an object clause) which makes the whole

sentence a complex one.

I don‘t know what it was.

He thought of what he was to say to all of them.
1. The direct object is a non-prepositional one that follows transitive verbs,
adjectives, or statives and completes their meaning. Semantically it is usually a non-
person which is affected by the action of the verb, though it may also be a person or a
situation. The situation is expressed by a verbal, a verbal phrase, a complex, or by a
clause.

I wrote a poem.
You like arguing, don‘t you?
Who saw him leave?
I don‘t know what it all means.
She was ready to sing.

When the direct object is expressed by an infinitive (or an infinitive phrase or a clause) it
may be preceded by the formal introductory object it.

I find it exciting to watch tennis.

He found it hard to believe the girl.
2. The indirect object also follows verbs, adjectives and statives. Unlike the
direct object, however, it may be attached to intransitive verbs as well as to
transitive ones. Besides, it may also be attached to adverbs, although this is very
rare.

From the point of view of their semantics and certain grammatical characteristics
indirect objects fall into two types:

a) The indirect object of the first type is attached only to ditransitive verbs. It is
expressed by a noun or pronoun which as a rule denotes (or, in the case of pronouns,
points out) a person who is the addressee or recipient of the action of the verb. So it
is convenient to call an object of this type the indirect recipient object. It is joined
to the headword either without a preposition or by the preposition to
(occasionally for). The indirect recipient object is generally used with transitive
verbs.

He gave the kid two dollars.

She did not tell anything to anyone.
Will you bring a cup of coffee for me?
b) The indirect object of the second type is attached to verbs, adjectives, statives and
sometimes adverbs. It is usually a noun (less often a pronoun) denoting an inanimate
object, although it may be a gerund, a gerundial phrase or complex, an infinitive complex
or a clause. Its semantics varies, but it never denotes the addressee (recipient) of the
action of the governing verb. So it may be called the indirect non-recipient object.
The indirect non-recipient object can only be joined to its headword by means of
a preposition.

One must always hope for the best.

She‘s not happy about her new friend.

The indirect non-recipient object is used mainly with intransitive verbs. It is usually the
only object in a sentence, at least other objects are not obligatory.
3. The cognate object is a non-prepositional object which is attached to
otherwise intransitive verbs and is always expressed by nouns derived from, or
semantically related to, the root of the governing verb.

The child smiled the smile and laughed the laugh of contentment.
They struck him a heavy blow.

4. The retained object. This term is to be applied in case an active construction is

transformed into a passive one and the indirect object of the active construction
becomes the subject of the passive construction. The second object, the direct one, may
be retained in the transformation, though the action of the predicate-verb is no more
directed upon it. Therefore it is called a retained object.
The direct object is used irrespective of the absence or presence of other
objects attached to the same verb.

He wrote the article two weeks ago.

Tommie did not know anything about it.
Ned ordered him to start.

Some English verbs which take a direct object correspond to Ukrainian verbs
followed by an indirect nonrecipient object with a preposition.
These verbs are:

to address smb – звертатись до когось

to affect smb, smth – впливати на когось/щось
to answer smth – відповідати на щось
to approach smb, smth – наближатись/підходити до когось/чогось
to follow smb, smth - слідкувати за кимось/чимось
to join smb, smth - приєднуватись до когось-чогось
 The position of the direct object

The most usual position of the direct object is that immediately after the predicate verb it refers
to.

Then he found her in the hall.

The direct object is separated from the predicate verb in the following cases:

1. If there is a non-prepositional indirect recipient object to the same verb in the sentence. In
this case the direct object follows the indirect one.

I never told him anything

2. If the direct object is modified by a phrase or a clause. In this case it may be
separated from the verb by a prepositional indirect non-recipient object or an
adverbial.

Ged had kept for his winter journey the cloak lined with fur.
He took into his hands a small beast.
3. If the direct object is expressed by a noun or a pronoun (except a personal pronoun)
referring to a phrasal predicate verb consisting of a verbal part and a postposition such
as about, back, down, in, off, on, out, over, through, up.

He laid down his stick.

Ged took off his cloak that was heavy with water.

With most of those verbs, however, the direct object may also precede the adverb.
He laid down his stick. = He laid his stick down.

If expressed by a personal pronoun, the direct object always precedes the postposition.

He laid down his stick. = He laid it down.

The direct object comes before the predicate verb it refers to in the
following cases:

1. In pronominal questions referring to the direct object or to its

attribute.

What did they give you?

Whose car was he driving?
Which piece shall I take?

2. In certain exclamatory sentences.

What a wonderful boat he has built!

3. In case it is necessary to connect the idea expressed in this
sentence with the preceding one. This makes the object more
emphatic.

The people of the village gathered in silence to watch his quick hands.
This job too he did well and patiently.

4. For the sake of emphasis or contrast.

I enjoyed arithmetic, as always. Grammar I could not understand in

the least.
The indirect recipient object

As has been mentioned above, the indirect recipient object is used mainly with
transitive verbs, which thus take two objects, and are accordingly called
ditransitive. Verbs governing the indirect recipient object fall into two classes,
which in accordance with their general semantics are called verbs of
benefaction and verbs of inducement.
Verbs of benefaction denote an action that is addressed to a person or is
done for that person's sake or benefit.

First she gave him his supper.

I‘ve bought a pair of beautiful earrings for you, dear.

Verbs of inducement denote an action which causes a person to do some

other action.

Ann told him to leave her alone.

I beg you to forgive me.
The indirect recipient object is generally used together with the direct object and
precedes it (see the examples above).
If the indirect object is attached to a verb of benefaction, the direct object is
usually a noun, a pronoun, or a clause.

Bring the man his things.

I told her everything.
They did not show him what it was.

Some verbs of benefaction can take an infinitive or a gerund as their direct

object.

Help me (to) do it.

She promised me to be punctual.
Miss Craggs taught them singing.

If the indirect recipient object is attached to a verb of inducement, the direct

object can only be an infinitive or an infinitive phrase.

She asked him to come to dinner

When attached to verbs of benefaction, the indirect recipient object may
sometimes be used alone, that is, without a following direct object. This
occurs:

a) Where it is attached to the predicate verb in the passive.

At last the check was given her and she left.

b) b) After the verbs to answer, to ask, to envy, to forgive, to help,

to teach.

She used to teach me once.

I‘ve helped you all my life.

When attached to verbs of inducement, the indirect recipient object can

never be used alone.
Form and position of the indirect
recipient objects
As to their form and position the following cases must be distinguished:

1. If the indirect recipient object is attached to a verb of inducement, it is always non-

prepositional and has a fixed position in the sentence just before the direct object.

Mother ordered me to get down.

He urged her to write a story about it.

2. If it is attached to the verbs of benefaction to announce, to ascribe, to

attribute, to communicate, to contribute, to dedicate, to dictate, to
disclose, to explain, to interpret, to introduce, to open, to point out, to
repeat, to submit, to suggest, it is always prepositional and has two possible
positions in the sentence, either before the direct object or after it. In both cases it is
governed by the preposition to. It usually precedes the direct object if the latter is
modified by an attribute.

He dictated the letter to his secretary.

Up to her death in 1935 she did not open to me her secret.
Then she explained to me the cause of her refusal.
3. If the indirect recipient object is attached to a verb of benefaction other than
those listed above, its form and position vary according to certain rules:

a) The indirect recipient object is non-prepositional when it precedes the direct

object.

She offered him a sandwich.

Jane sang me a song.

b) The indirect recipient object is prepositional when it follows the direct object.
In this case the most frequent preposition is to.

She has given some kind of task to each girl.

I‘m going to offer something to you.

If the indirect recipient object denotes a person for whose benefit the action is
done, it has the preposition for.

I‘ll buy this for you.

с) The position of the indirect recipient object after the direct object is
sometimes obligatory. This is the case either when both objects are personal
pronouns, as in:

Give him to me.

Send me to them.

or when the direct object is a personal pronoun, while the indirect object is a
noun, as in

Give them to Nanny.

Show it to John.

If the direct object is the pronoun it and the indirect recipient object is any
other personal pronoun, the indirect recipient object may take the preposition
or not.

Give it to him = Give it him.

Sometimes the indirect recipient object may be placed before the predicate
verb. This occurs in the following cases:

1. In pronominal questions referring to the indirect recipient object

or its attribute.

Whom did you show the brooch to?

To whom did you send the parcel?
Which boy has she given the money to?
To which porter did you give your suitcase?
2. In attributive clauses.

This friend of his whom she had shown the letter to did not appear to
know anything.
The man to whom she had given two loaves of bread never came back.

3. If the object is to be made more emphatic for the sake of contrast.

To you he‘s telling his tales, not to me

The indirect non-recipient object
The indirect non-recipient object is a prepositional object that follows
both transitive and intransitive verbs and completes their meaning, The
indirect non-recipient object may be preceded by various prepositions.

I thought about it a good deal.

Invention arises from idleness.
How would you deal with the problem?
I could hardly stand on my skates then.
The formal object it

Some verbs cannot take an infinitive object or a clausal object. In this case the formal object
it precedes the notional object. It is called introductory (or anticipatory) it. The sentence
thus has two objects, the formal object it and a notional object, which is an infinitive or a
clause. The formal object it may be either a direct object, or an indirect non-recipient
object.

1. As a direct object it occurs after the verbs to take, to like, to find, to understand, to
learn and some others.

Is she to take it that everything is О.К.?

I understand it that you are my wife‘s brother.
We found it difficult to talk to him.

2. As an indirect non-recipient object it occurs after certain verbs which take objects with
obligatory prepositions: to count (on), to depend (on), to hear (of), to insist (on), to
object (to) and some others.

He objected to it that they should be taken to the island too.

There is another use of it as a formal object: it can be attached to
transitive or intransitive verbs to convey a very vague idea of some kind of
an object.

I was angry. I made him take the present away. An hour later he returned
and we made it up.
We therefore decided that we would sleep out on fine nights, and hotel it,
and inn it, and pub it, when it was wet.
The cognate object

The verbs that most frequently take a cognate object are: to live (a life), to
smile (a smile), to laugh (a laugh), to die (a death), to sigh (a sigh), to
sleep (a sleep), to dream (a dream), to run (a race), to fight (a, fight,, a
battle).

He died the death of a hero.

Here she stopped and sighed a heavy sigh.
One must live one's own life, you know.

The cognate object is always used with words modifying it, never alone:

the death of a hero, a heavy sigh, one‘s own life, etc.

to die the death of a hero = to die like a hero;

to sigh a heavy sigh = to sigh heavily, etc.
Semantically cognate objects characterize the action expressed by the
predicate-verb.
Nevertheless they are considered to be objects, not adverbial modifiers,
because:

a) they are expressed by nouns without prepositions, which is not

characteristic of adverbials;

b) b) they may occur in the position of the subject of a passive

construction.

He never doubted that life should be lived as he lived