2.2.2 The object
So far we have concentrated on the subject, but what about any other argument: do they have special statuses? One other argument, known as the object, might be claimed to have special features with regard to all other types of complement.
The object is a DP complement and like other complements it follows the verb:
| (58) | a | Peter put [DP the bike] [PP in the shed] |
| c | Gary gave [DP the voucher] [PP to the attendant] |
Note that the object has a privileged position in relation to the other complements in that it must immediately follow the verb:
| (59) | a | *Peter put [PP in the shed] [DP the bike] |
| c | *Gary gave [PP to the attendant] [DP the voucher] |
Another fact about objects is that they are arguments which may undergo certain syntactic processes and so seem to be singled out by these. For example, in a passive sentence, the subject may go missing (it may be present inside a by-phrase, but we will not deal with this at the moment). In this case, the argument which would normally be interpreted as the object appears in the subject position. We may interpret this as a process which ‘moves’ the object into subject position:
| (60) | a | we all saw Wendy |
| b |
This process is restricted to object and does not happen to other kinds of complements:
| (61) | a | [DP the bike] was put [PP in the shed] |
| b | [DP the voucher] was given [PP to the attendant] | |
| a | *[PP in the shed] was put [DP the bike] | |
| c | *[PP to the attendant] was given [DP the voucher] |
We have also seen that the object is a more limited complement in some ways. For example, Verbs and Prepositions have objects, but nouns and adjectives do not:
| (62) | a | see [DP the sights] |
| b | to [DP the castle] | |
| c | *a picture [DP his mother] | |
| d | *regretful [DP his deeds] |
The object following the preposition is called a prepositional object.
In the same way that subjects tend to have a Case form associated with them, so too do objects. The object, when it sits in object position and is not moved to the subject position as in (60), always appears in its accusative Case:
| (63) | a | I saw him/her/them/etc. |
| b | *I saw he/she/they/etc. |
The prepositional object also must appear in the accusative form:
| (64) | a | I looked at him/her/them/etc. |
| b | * I looked at he/she/they/etc. |
Prepositional objects also sometimes undergo the same movements that verbal objects do, for example in passive structures:
| (65) | a | the doctor looked at her |
| b |
However, this phenomenon is complex and not all objects of prepositions can undergo this movement:
| (66) | *the doctor was stood near by the patient | |
| (cf. the patient stood near the doctor) |
Quite what determines when a prepositional object may undergo this movement and when it may not is not well understood. It seems to have something to do with the relationship between the verb that is passivised and the preposition whose object moves: the closer the relationship, the more likely the object will be able to move. Thus the at preposition in (65) is closely related to the verb, heading the PP complement of this verb. The near preposition in (66) does not head a PP complement, but a PP that modifies the verb. Modification is not such a close relationship as it is not indicated in a head’s lexical entry, but can be fairly freely be added to any appropriate head.
The clausal complement of certain verbs have some properties in common with objects. For example, these clauses can undergo movement in passive structures:
| (67) | a | everyone believed [that Bill belly-dances] |
| b |
Presumably this is one of the reasons why verbs which have clausal complements have traditionally been considered as transitive verbs. There are, however, a number of differences between clausal and DP complements. One is that clauses obviously do not appear in accusative Case. However, given that it is only the pronouns in English that demonstrate Case distinctions, this is not surprising. Another difference is that not all clausal complements can undergo passive movement:
| (68) | a | * [that Charley cheated] was considered by everyone |
| b | * [if Kevin likes coffee] was wondered by Wendy |
Moreover, even in those cases where it can take place, the movement is an optional one:
| (69) | a | [that students attend exams] is expected by the university |
| b | it is expected [that students attend exams] by the university |
DP objects always move in passive structures:
| (70) | a | Fiona was found by the search party |
| b | * it was found Fiona by the search party |
Given the differences between clausal and DP objects, we will, in this book, reserve the term object for DP complements alone and will not extend it to clausal complements as is sometimes done.
Overall, we see that the object receives a special treatment in the grammar, though it is treated very differently to subjects.