When we create sentences in English, different elements are needed to form a complete sentence. Every sentence must contain a subject and a verb - otherwise, it would be incomplete!
The term subject refers to the person, animal, place, or thing that performs the action of a verb or is directly linked to a verb. For example, in the sentence "She played tennis," the subject is 'she.'
Sentences without a subject and a verb are called 'fragments.'
Although it is not always necessary, some sentences also contain an object. This article will explore what an object is, the different types of objects, and some examples. It will also consider the difference between objects and subjects.
Object Categories in Grammar
In English grammar, an object refers to the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase affected by the action of a verb. For example, in the sentence "I fixed my shoes," the object is 'my shoes.'
Objects appear in both grammatical voices in English, i.e., active and passive.
Sentences written in the active voice contain a subject (a person, animal, place, or thing) actively performing the verb. These sentences tell us what the subject is doing. Active sentences typically follow this structure: subject ---> verb ---> object (SVO). This means the object comes last, for example:
Fig. 1 - The object comes last in a sentence written in the active voice.
On the other hand, with sentences written in the passive voice, the object (the person, animal, place, or thing affected by an action) assumes the position of the subject. These sentences tell us what is being done to something or someone. For example:
Fig. 2 - The object acts as a subject in sentences written in the passive voice.
In passive sentences, the focus is on the receiver of the action (the letter) instead of the person doing the action (Tom).
Types of Object
There are three types of objects:
1. Direct objects
2. Indirect objects
3. Objects of a preposition
Let's take a look at each of these in more detail:
Direct Objects
Direct objects are the person, animal, place, or thing directly affected by the verb's action. For example:
I drink water.
Here, 'water' is the object as it is affected by the action of drinking.
In this sentence, the verb 'drank' can be referred to as a transitive verb. Let's look at this in more detail below:
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
It is important to know about transitive and intransitive verbs as they are both used for different reasons:
Transitive verbs are verbs that must act upon an object. Without an object, the sentence will not make sense.
Take the sentence 'Georgia picks a flower.'
The verb 'picks' is transitive as it must have an object (a flower) to make sense. Without the object, the sentence would be 'Georgia picks.' It is unclear what this means - what does Georgia pick?
Intransitive verbs are verbs that do not need to act upon an object for the sentence to make sense.
Take the sentence 'You've grown a lot!'
The verb 'grown' is intransitive as it does not need an object for the sentence to still make sense. This sentence does not contain an object, instead the adverb 'a lot' comes after the verb.
Some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive depending on what comes after them. For example:
The verb 'read' is transitive in the sentence 'I read a book', whereas it is intransitive in the sentence 'I read often.'
Indirect Objects
Indirect objects are the person or thing that receives the direct object. This means that indirect objects can only be found in sentences with direct objects. They are usually placed between the action verb and the direct object. For example:
He showed me the view.
The indirect object is 'me' as it is the receiver of the direct object (the view).
The owner gave the bone to the dog.
The indirect object is 'the dog' as it is given the direct object (the bone).
Sally bought her daughter a present.
The indirect object is 'her daughter' as she is the one that receives the direct object (a present).
Indirect Object Categories
We will now take a look at some different ways to create indirect objects. There are three ways to create indirect objects:
1. Using one word (a noun or pronoun)
"Sarah gave him chocolate."
Here, the pronoun 'him' is the indirect object, as it is the receiver of the direct object (chocolate).
2. Using two or more words (e.g., article + noun, adjective + noun)
"I gave the kind nurse a hug."
Here, the indirect object is made up of the definite article 'the', the adjective 'kind', and the noun 'nurse.'
3. Using a prepositional phrase (a group of words consisting of a preposition, an object, and/or any modifiers).
"She gave the letter to her friend."
Here, the indirect object is 'her friend', and is written in the form of a prepositional phrase that begins with the preposition 'to.'
Objects of a Preposition
Objects of a preposition refer to a noun or pronoun that comes after a preposition. These objects receive the action of a verb but need a preposition for the sentence to make sense.
A preposition is a word or group of words that come before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase. It shows time, place, direction, location, etc. For example, words such as on, in, at, to, and of are prepositions.
An example of an object of a preposition is:
Thomas placed the apple in the box.
Here, the object is 'the box' as it comes after the preposition 'in.'
He left after lunch.
Here, the object is '
lunch' as it comes after the preposition '
after.'
| Sentences without objects |
| You can come in. |
| They go well together. |
| Mistakes will be made. |
| We cried. |
| The window opened slowly. |
| The movie will begin shortly. |
| The computer does not work. |
| The temperature is increasing. |
| They should leave. |
Remember - when a verb is used with an object, it is called 'transitive,' but when it is used without an object, it is called 'intransitive.'
Object Categories and Subject - What is the Difference?
An object refers to the person or thing that receives the verb's action. On the other hand, the subject refers to the person or thing doing the action. In a sentence with an active voice, the subject goes first, followed by the verb, and finally the object. For example:
| Subject | Verb | Object |
| I | took | a photo. |
In a sentence with a passive voice, the object acts as the subject, so it comes first, whereas the actual subject comes last. For example, instead of writing, "I took a photo," the passive voice would be "a photo was taken by me."
A subject is always needed to create a complete sentence, along with a verb. But, objects are not always needed in a sentence.
Object category - Key Takeaways
- An object refers to a noun, a pronoun, or a noun phrase that is affected by the action of a verb.
- There are three types of objects: direct, indirect, and object of a preposition.
- In sentences written in the active voice, the object comes last.
- In sentences written in the passive voice, the object acts as a subject and comes first in the sentence.
- Objects are not always needed in a sentence, but subjects and verbs are.
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