Basic English Syntax with Exercises

direct object

2.2.3 Indirect object

We call the object that immediately follows the verb in Standard English the indirect object and the one that follows this, the direct object. The indirect object is more often than not assigned the goal or beneficiary Θ-role by the verb while the direct object bears the theme Θ-role.

2.2.3 Indirect object

The direct object can only undergo passive movement if the goal argument is expressed as a PP, in what is often called the dative alternate or the dative construction:

2.2.3 Indirect object

The notions of subject, direct object and indirect object are known as grammatical functions. It is fairly clear that they are defined as positions in the English sentence, in that any element which sits in those positions will be interpreted as subject and object respectively, no matter if this makes sense or not:

5.2.6 Multiple complement verbs

This is known as the double object construction as the verb has two objects, traditionally referred to as the indirect and the direct objects respectively.

5.2.6 Multiple complement verbs

The verb movement is as we have seen before. As both light verbs are bound morphemes, both will need supporting and so the verb will move from one to the other forming a complex head adjunction structure in the top head position. As far as Case relationships are concerned, the subject DP is in a Caseless position and hence will move to the clause subject position to get nominative Case. The indirect object gets accusative from the upper light verb in the position it moves to and the direct object gets Case from the lower light verb without moving. The word order is as predicted with the verb preceding both the objects and the indirect object moved in front of the direct object.