CINXE.COM
What is a Direct Object? (Definition, Examples, How They're Used) | GrammarBrain
<html> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title>What is a Direct Object? (Definition, Examples, How They're Used) | GrammarBrain</title> <meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" name="viewport"> <meta content="Webflow" name="generator"> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/css/normalize.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/css/webflow.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <link href="https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/62dacc9b448304522b6aefa0/css/legalbrain-org.webflow.addccb560.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/css/add-five.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <!-- [if lt IE 9]><script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/html5shiv/3.7.3/html5shiv.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script><![endif] --> <script type="text/javascript">!function(o,c){var n=c.documentElement,t=" w-mod-";n.className+=t+"js",("ontouchstart"in o||o.DocumentTouch&&c instanceof DocumentTouch)&&(n.className+=t+"touch")}(window,document);</script> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/favicon.ico" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon"> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/webclip.png" rel="apple-touch-icon"> <meta name="fo-verify" content="024656b7-67d2-438c-9f74-04ef134ef82e"> <meta name='robots' content='index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1' /> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }</style> <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.7 - https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/ --> <meta name="description" content="What is a direct object? How does a direct object work? A word or phrase that is the recipient of the action of the verb is referred to as the direct object in English grammar." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="What is a Direct Object? (Definition, Examples, How They're Used) | GrammarBrain" /> <meta property="og:description" content="What is a direct object? How does a direct object work? A word or phrase that is the recipient of the action of the verb is referred to as the direct object in English grammar." /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="GrammarBrain" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2022-11-12T19:02:33+00:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2022-11-12T19:11:57+00:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/stock-16-6.jpeg" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1600" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1067" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" /> <meta name="author" content="Dalia" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@Grammar_Brain" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@Grammar_Brain" /> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Written by" /> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="Dalia" /> <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Est. reading time" /> <meta name="twitter:data2" content="8 minutes" /> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/"},"author":{"name":"Dalia","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/person/d0f84a2ff18314c1b784625f1908c47c"},"headline":"What is a Direct Object? (Definition, Examples, How They’re Used)","datePublished":"2022-11-12T19:02:33+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-12T19:11:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/"},"wordCount":1648,"publisher":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/stock-16-6.jpeg","keywords":["Sentences"],"articleSection":["English"],"inLanguage":"en-US","editor":"Patrick David"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/","name":"What is a Direct Object? (Definition, Examples, How They're Used) | GrammarBrain","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/stock-16-6.jpeg","datePublished":"2022-11-12T19:02:33+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-12T19:11:57+00:00","description":"What is a direct object? How does a direct object work? A word or phrase that is the recipient of the action of the verb is referred to as the direct object in English grammar.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/#primaryimage","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/stock-16-6.jpeg","contentUrl":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/stock-16-6.jpeg","width":1600,"height":1067,"caption":"Direct Objects"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://grammarbrain.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is a Direct Object? (Definition, Examples, How They’re Used)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#website","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/","name":"GrammarBrain","description":"Learn the English language","publisher":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://grammarbrain.com/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#organization","name":"GrammarBrain","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/logo/image/","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/grammar-logo.png","contentUrl":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/grammar-logo.png","width":44,"height":64,"caption":"GrammarBrain"},"image":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/logo/image/"},"sameAs":["https://x.com/Grammar_Brain"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/person/d0f84a2ff18314c1b784625f1908c47c","name":"Dalia","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/person/image/","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/02704d9ecaab8ff2fc5bb422d8f4e7cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/02704d9ecaab8ff2fc5bb422d8f4e7cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dalia"},"url":"https://grammarbrain.com/author/dalia/"}]}</script> <!-- / Yoast SEO plugin. --> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//scripts.scriptwrapper.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com' /> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/grammarbrain.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.7.2"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r=(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return e===r[t]})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3","\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!n(e,"\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b","\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b")}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement("canvas"),a=r.getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(a.textBaseline="top",a.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(function(e){o[e]=t(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var t=i.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}"undefined"!=typeof Promise&&(o="wpEmojiSettingsSupports",s=["flag","emoji"],n.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},e=new Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"}),a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=function(e){c(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(n=f(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supports[t]=e[t],n.supports.everything=n.supports.everything&&n.supports[t],"flag"!==t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supports[t]);n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady=!1,n.readyCallback=function(){n.DOMReady=!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(e=n.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings); /* ]]> */ </script> <style id='wp-emoji-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-block-library-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css?ver=6.7.2' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='coblocks-frontend-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/coblocks/dist/style-coblocks-1.css?ver=3.1.14' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='coblocks-extensions-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/coblocks/dist/style-coblocks-extensions.css?ver=3.1.14' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='coblocks-animation-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/coblocks/dist/style-coblocks-animation.css?ver=2677611078ee87eb3b1c' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-components-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-includes/css/dist/components/style.min.css?ver=6.7.2' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='godaddy-styles-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/vendor/wpex/godaddy-launch/includes/Dependencies/GoDaddy/Styles/build/latest.css?ver=2.0.2' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='ez-toc-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/easy-table-of-contents/assets/css/screen.min.css?ver=2.0.73' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='ez-toc-inline-css' type='text/css'> div#ez-toc-container .ez-toc-title {font-size: 100%;}div#ez-toc-container .ez-toc-title {font-weight: 400;}div#ez-toc-container ul li {font-size: 95%;}div#ez-toc-container ul li {font-weight: 500;}div#ez-toc-container nav ul ul li {font-size: 90%;}div#ez-toc-container {background: #f7f9fc;border: 1px solid #edf1f6;width: 100%;}div#ez-toc-container p.ez-toc-title , #ez-toc-container .ez_toc_custom_title_icon , #ez-toc-container .ez_toc_custom_toc_icon {color: #212121;}div#ez-toc-container ul.ez-toc-list a {color: #1269be;}div#ez-toc-container ul.ez-toc-list a:hover {color: #2a6496;}div#ez-toc-container ul.ez-toc-list a:visited {color: #428bca;} .ez-toc-container-direction {direction: ltr;}.ez-toc-counter ul {direction: ltr;counter-reset: item ;}.ez-toc-counter nav ul li a::before {content: counter(item, disc) ' ';margin-right: .2em; counter-increment: item;flex-grow: 0;flex-shrink: 0;float: left; }.ez-toc-widget-direction {direction: ltr;}.ez-toc-widget-container ul {direction: ltr;counter-reset: item ;}.ez-toc-widget-container nav ul li a::before {content: counter(item, disc) ' ';margin-right: .2em; counter-increment: item;flex-grow: 0;flex-shrink: 0;float: left; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-pagenavi-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-pagenavi/pagenavi-css.css?ver=2.70' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='font-awesome-css' href='//maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.3.0/css/font-awesome.min.css?ver=4.3.0' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dkpdf-frontend-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/dk-pdf/assets/css/frontend.css?ver=1.9.7' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js?ver=3.7.1" id="jquery-core-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery-migrate.min.js?ver=3.4.1" id="jquery-migrate-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" async="async" data-noptimize="1" data-cfasync="false" src="https://scripts.scriptwrapper.com/tags/3b6c1e6d-e5b3-422b-9cde-2fdc34033640.js" id="mv-script-wrapper-js"></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/5659" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://grammarbrain.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://grammarbrain.com/?p=5659' /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrammarbrain.com%2Fdirect-object%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrammarbrain.com%2Fdirect-object%2F&format=xml" /> </head> <body class="body"> <div bind="61ccf9f4-02b4-034c-a7c5-f249187107c4" class="navigation wf-section"> <div bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb230" data-animation="default" data-collapse="medium" data-duration="400" data-easing="ease" data-easing2="ease" role="banner" class="navbar navigation w-nav nav-green"> <div class="super-big-wrap w-clearfix"> <div bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb23f" class="menu-button w-nav-button"> <div bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb240" class="icon w-icon-nav-menu"></div> </div> <nav role="navigation" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb234" class="nav-menu w-nav-menu"> <a href="/category/examples/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb235" class="nav-link w-nav-link">Examples</a> <a href="/category/grammar/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb237" class="nav-link w-nav-link">Grammar</a> <a href="/category/abbreviations/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb239" class="nav-link-3 w-nav-link">Abbreviations</a> <a href="/category/english/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb23b" class="nav-link-4 w-nav-link">English</a> </nav> <a href="/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb232" class="brand large w-nav-brand"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/grammarbrain-black.png" loading="lazy" width="25" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb233" alt="" class="image-4"></a> <a href="/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb232" class="brand w-nav-brand"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/grammar-brain-mark-black.png" loading="lazy" width="25" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb233" alt="" class="image-4 small-logo"></a> </div> </div> </div> <br/><br/><br/> <div bind="4ed9caa8-33b1-e729-3e27-6e80e5f2e821" class="headline wf-section"> <div bind="ae1442c7-1287-9788-d377-7e80f373539e" class="container w-container"> <div bind="64588acb-2f54-645e-ea7f-210cceaa7e54"> <div bind="8f7e1dc3-1ce5-2270-8f83-388a6574eb47" class="meta"><a href="/">Home</a> <span bind="44955286-94e1-f0df-3fe9-3d8d0adc68b2" class="text-span-2">/ <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/category/english/">English</a></span><strong bind="21d1c0e0-3af2-7c85-cceb-9c05afc39ac9"></strong> <span bind="4e987073-f907-d2b6-3330-25e851cfc3a1" class="text-span">/ </span><time datetime="2022-11-12T13:02:33-06:00" itemprop="datePublished">November 12, 2022</time> </div> </div> <h1 bind="1cf8a8c4-0bfe-3c6e-04d1-2930cc854146" class="article-h1">What is a Direct Object? (Definition, Examples, How They’re Used)</h1> <div bind="b4d36f25-3a5e-8c0b-ebc8-a80567a94714" class="featured-image-wrap"> <img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/stock-16-6-1024x683.jpeg" height="auto" style="-moz-border-radius:10px;-webkit-border-radius:10px;border-radius:10px;margin-bottom:40px;" alt="Direct Objects" /> </div> </div> </div> <div bind="80e03a2d-a20f-6efc-c0d9-14bc49b22dd9" class="article-body wf-section"> <div bind="bc878838-ab40-9492-e3bd-2479e727ee0e" class="article-body"> <div bind="bc0209be-976e-1d43-38b0-3a9a8847699c" class="container w-container"> <div bind="085bf5dc-f87e-1752-2b64-0aa48fd35121" class="w-richtext"> <p><strong>What is a direct object? How does a direct object work?</strong> A word or phrase that is <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/a-vs-the/">the</a> recipient of the action of the <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/what-is-a-verb/">verb</a> is referred <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/to-vs-too/">to</a> as the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/direct%20object" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">direct object</a> in English <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/what-is-grammar/">grammar</a>.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="understanding-direct-object-with-the-help-of-an-example"></span>Understanding direct object with the help of an example<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>Take the following instance, as a way to better grasp what this means:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>James plays football.</strong></li></ul> <p>Football is the item that the immediate object of this phrase is. Football is the subject of the activity, while the term plays serves as the verb in this <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/what-is-a-sentence/">sentence</a>.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="441" src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object.png" alt="Direct object" class="wp-image-5662" srcset="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object.png 800w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-300x165.png 300w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-768x423.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>Direct object</figcaption></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="what-is-the-definition-of-a-%e2%80%9cdirect-object%e2%80%9d"></span>What is the definition of a “direct object”?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>A noun that is the recipient of the action of the verb is referred to as the “direct object.”</p> <p>It’s possible to confuse the direct object with the topic of the statement. However, it can be avoided with a sufficient understanding of the topic (in the sentence).</p> <p>There’s also the potential that you’re mixing the direct object and the questionable verb.</p> <p>It’s critical to keep in mind that the subject is the noun that is responsible for carrying out the activities.</p> <p>In most cases, <a href="https://examples.yourdictionary.com/direct-object-examples.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">direct objects </a>provide responses to the questions like “what?” or “whom?”</p> <p><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/lets-or-lets/">Let’s</a> take a second look at the example of the direct object that <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/was-vs-were/">was</a> given before.</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>James plays football.</strong></li></ul> <p>Consider this: “What game did James play?</p> <p>The correct response is the immediate object of the question, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comma-before-which/">which</a> in this instance is “football.”</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="lets-look-at-another-example-of-a-direct-object"></span>Let’s look at another example of a direct object:<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Charles played with his dog.</li></ul> <p>What does “direct object” refer to? Pose the question to yourself, “Who was Charles’s playmate? ” The correct response is “dog,” of course.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="441" src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-1.png" alt="Direct object" class="wp-image-5661" srcset="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-1.png 800w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-1-300x165.png 300w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-1-768x423.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>Direct object</figcaption></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="the-difference-between-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs"></span>The difference between transitive and intransitive verbs<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>Not all verbs employ a direct object. It’s impossible to utilize direct objects with some verbs, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comma-before-such-as/">such as</a> ‘laugh’ and ‘sit’ <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/because-vs-since/">since</a> doing so <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/would-vs-will/">would</a> be illogical.</p> <p><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personal-pronouns/">You</a> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/cannot-or-can-not/">cannot</a> laugh at something or seat someone; doing so would be meaningless.</p> <p>Verbs that require a direct object are known as transitive verbs, whereas verbs that do not require <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/a-or-an/">an</a> object are known as intransitive verbs.</p> <p>Sometimes intransitive verbs are preceded <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/bye-vs-by/">by</a> a <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/">prepositional phrase</a> or an adverbial phrase, which are not the same as direct objects.</p> <p>This makes it difficult to determine the difference between the two types of verbs.</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>James and Charlie laugh at Julie.</strong></li></ul> <p>It <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/may-vs-can/">may</a> appear that Julie is the direct object in this sentence. However, the presence of the preposition ‘at’ reveals that the phrase in question is actually a prepositional phrase.</p> <p>It’s not proper to say, “James and Charlie laugh Julie” since laugh is an <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/intransitive-verbs/">intransitive verb</a>. It might help to who we’re laughing at by using a prepositional phrase.</p> <p>On the other hand, it’s accurate to claim, “James and Charlie enjoy Julie.”</p> <p><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/is-because-a-conjunction/">Because</a> the word ‘enjoy’ is transitive in this context, a preposition is not required when Julie becomes the direct object of the verb.</p> <p>Sometimes, depending on the context, the same word might function either transitively or intransitively.</p> <p>If a verb may <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-tense-of-have/">have</a> more than one meaning, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/then-vs-than/">then</a> some of the uses of the verb could be transitive, while other uses could be intransitive.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="examples"></span>Examples:<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>James drove to the shopping center. – Intransitive</strong></li><li><strong>Charlie drove James to the shopping center. – Transitive</strong></li></ul> <p>The simplest approach for determining <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/weather-whether-wether/">whether</a> a verb is transitive or intransitive is to consult a dictionary. However, the best method to distinguish between the two is by experience.</p> <p>When you’re in a jam, the question “what?” or “whom?” might be really helpful.</p> <p>If you receive a response, the expression is considered transitive. And if <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/there-their-theyre/">there</a> is no answer, presume that it’s an intransitive verb.</p> <p>This is especially helpful for terms like ‘play’ that may be used either transitively or intransitively depending on the context.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="expressions-and-clauses-with-direct-objects"></span>Expressions and clauses with direct objects<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>Sometimes, rather than being a single word, <a href="https://www.grammarly.com/blog/direct-object/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">direct objects </a>are full phrases or even whole <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/clauses/">clauses</a>. This is not always the case.</p> <p>These phrases are always functioning together as <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/noun/">nouns</a>; hence, in addition to being normal noun phrases, they are frequently <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/gerund/">gerund</a> phrases or relative clauses.</p> <p><strong>Note:</strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Relative clauses are clauses that begin with a <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/relative-pronouns/">relative pronoun</a> like “what,” as opposed to <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/independent-clause/">independent clauses</a>, which begin with a noun.</li><li>Noun phrases that begin with gerunds are referred to as <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/gerund-phrase/">gerund phrases</a>.</li></ul> <p>The <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/inifitives/">infinitive</a> form of a verb can occasionally be used as a direct object.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="pronouns-that-take-direct-objects"></span>Pronouns that take direct objects<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>In English, the same person can be referred to by two different pronouns, depending on whether the pronoun is operating as a subject or an object.</p> <p>For instance, the pronoun “I” would be used when discussing yourself as the <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subject-of-a-sentence/">subject of a sentence</a>.</p> <p>However, if <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/you-were-or-you-was/">you were</a> describing oneself as the subject of the phrase, “myself” would be used.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="441" src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-5664" srcset="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-2.png 800w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-2-300x165.png 300w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/direct-object-2-768x423.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>Direct vs. indirect object</figcaption></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="what-exactly-is-the-distinction-between-a-direct-object-and-an-indirect-object"></span>What exactly is the distinction between a direct object and an indirect object?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>It’s possible to significantly enhance the readability of your whole sentences by being familiar with direct objects, indirect objects, and both types of objects.</p> <p>First, let’s get a handle on the difference between direct and indirect objects.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="the-object-of-direct-object"></span>The object of direct object<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>The direct object of a sentence is a noun or a noun phrase that is the target of an action carried out by the sentence’s subject.</p> <p>The beneficiary of the action of a transitive verb is referred to as the “what” or the “whom” of the phrase, which is a direct object.</p> <p>It’s the part of the phrase that is doing the receiving of the action. On the other hand, unlike sentences with connecting verbs, sentences that do not have an indirect object are not required to have one.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="the-object-of-indirect-object"></span>The object of indirect object<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>An indirect object can be a noun, a pronoun, or a noun phrase. Its purpose is to indicate ‘what’ or ‘who’ the direct object is given to.</p> <p>The direct object gives something to the indirect object, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/how-to-use-therefore-correctly/">therefore</a> an indirect object may only exist in a sentence if there is also a direct object present in the sentence.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="what-exactly-differentiates-the-two-from-one-another"></span>What exactly differentiates the two from one another?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>It’s easy to get direct and indirect objects mixed up, but there are a few important distinctions that make it simpler to spot the difference between the two.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>1. The connection between them and the event</strong></h4> <p>In a sentence, direct objects are the ones that are affected by the action of a verb, whereas indirect objects are the ones that are affected by the direct object.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2. Their application</strong></h4> <p>In order for a sentence to be considered “full,” a transitive verb in the English language <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/has-vs-have/">has</a> to have a direct object.</p> <p>On the other hand, indirect objects are only ever used with intransitive verbs and are frequently introduced by <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositions/">prepositions</a>.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>3. The significance of them</strong></h4> <p>In order for many sentences to be considered complete, direct objects will be required; nevertheless, an indirect object is not required for every statement.</p> <p>Direct objects, on the other hand, are able to exist even in the absence of indirect objects, whereas indirect objects are required for the existence of indirect things.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="what-are-some-of-the-parallels-that-can-be-seen-between-direct-and-indirect-objects"></span>What are some of the parallels that can be seen between direct and indirect objects?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>Both direct and indirect objects can be composed of nouns, noun phrases, or pronouns. It’s the primary characteristic that links the two categories of things together.</p> <p>Whether the word in question functions as a direct object or an indirect object is determined by the target of the action being performed by the subject.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="techniques-for-working-with-direct-objects"></span>Techniques for working with direct objects<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>In order to make appropriate <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/use-vs-utilize/">use</a> of <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/direct-object" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">direct objects</a>, the following are a few pointers to keep in mind.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="1-always-coming-after-the-action-verb-is-the-direct-object"></span><strong>1. Always coming after the action verb is the direct object.</strong><span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>Finding the transitive verb in the sentence is a simple approach to finding out <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/where-vs-were/">where</a> your direct object should belong in English grammar.</p> <p>The transitive verb is a verb that acts in connection to one or more objects. A transitive or action verb should be followed by a direct object.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="2-ensure-the-direct-object-is-a-noun-pronoun-or-clause"></span><strong>2. Ensure the direct object is a noun, pronoun, or clause.</strong><span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>There are three possible forms for a direct object: a noun, a pronoun, or a noun phrase. Different elements of speech, such as verbs, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbs/">adverbs</a>, and <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective/">adjectives</a>, cannot take the place of direct objects in a sentence.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="3-make-use-of-several-examples"></span><strong>3. Make use of several examples.</strong><span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>When the context calls for it, include many direct objects in a single statement.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="4-keep-an-eye-out-for-connecting-verbs"></span><strong>4. Keep an eye out for connecting verbs.</strong><span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>Direct objects are not allowed in sentences that contain linking verbs (such as, is, or were).</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Learn about <strong><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/object-pronouns/">direct object pronouns</a></strong>. A <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object-pronouns/">direct object pronoun</a> can get confused with a regular direct object.</p> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/FAQPage"> <h2 class="wp-block-coblocks-faq__title wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="faqs"></span>FAQs<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <details class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item" itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Question"><summary class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question" itemprop="name"><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__content"><strong>1. What are some examples of direct objects?</strong></div><svg width="24" height="24" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__icon" aria-hidden="true"><path fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M19.39 14.99l-1.41 1.41L12 10.43 6.02 16.4l-1.41-1.41L12 7.6l7.39 7.39z"></path></svg></summary><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__answer" itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer"><div itemprop="text"> <p>The noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that is the recipient of the action of the verb is referred to as the direct object.</p> </div></div></details> <details class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item" itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Question"><summary class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question" itemprop="name"><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__content"><strong>2. What does it look like when a direct object is used?</strong></div><svg width="24" height="24" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__icon" aria-hidden="true"><path fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M19.39 14.99l-1.41 1.41L12 10.43 6.02 16.4l-1.41-1.41L12 7.6l7.39 7.39z"></path></svg></summary><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__answer" itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer"><div itemprop="text"> <p>Here is an example of a direct object – James watches an old movie.</p> </div></div></details> <details class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item" itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Question"><summary class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question" itemprop="name"><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__content">3. What are some direct object examples?</div><svg width="24" height="24" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__icon" aria-hidden="true"><path fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M19.39 14.99l-1.41 1.41L12 10.43 6.02 16.4l-1.41-1.41L12 7.6l7.39 7.39z"></path></svg></summary><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__answer" itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer"><div itemprop="text"> <p>The construction of a sentence with a direct object is: Subject + Verb + Who or What</p> <p>Examples would be, “Sam enjoyed lemonade and a steak for <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/diner-vs-dinner/">dinner</a>.”</p> </div></div></details> <details class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item" itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Question"><summary class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question" itemprop="name"><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__content">4. Do direct objects follow transitive verbs?</div><svg width="24" height="24" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__icon" aria-hidden="true"><path fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M19.39 14.99l-1.41 1.41L12 10.43 6.02 16.4l-1.41-1.41L12 7.6l7.39 7.39z"></path></svg></summary><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__answer" itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer"><div itemprop="text"> <p>Yes, transitive verbs typically follow direct objects in a sentence or question sentence. The transitive verb is required to create a complete sentence. Direct objects receive the action of a transitive verb.</p> </div></div></details> <details class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item" itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Question"><summary class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question" itemprop="name"><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__content">5. Do linking verbs help direct objects?</div><svg width="24" height="24" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__question__icon" aria-hidden="true"><path fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M19.39 14.99l-1.41 1.41L12 10.43 6.02 16.4l-1.41-1.41L12 7.6l7.39 7.39z"></path></svg></summary><div class="wp-block-coblocks-faq-item__answer" itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Answer"><div itemprop="text"> <p>Linking verbs use direct objects, although the word that follows the <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/linking-verbs/">linking verb</a> is actually called a complement (or <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subject-complement/">subject complements</a>).</p> </div></div></details> </div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="sources"></span>Sources<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <ol class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.grammarly.com/blog/direct-object/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Direct Objects in English (with Examples)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/direct_object.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What Is a Direct Object? (with Examples)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/sentence/direct-object.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Direct Object</a></li><li><a href="https://examples.yourdictionary.com/direct-object-examples.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Direct Object Examples</a></li><li><a href="https://prowritingaid.com/direct-object" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Direct Object: Definition and Examples</a></li><li><a href="https://www.masterclass.com/articles/direct-vs-indirect-object-explained" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Difference Between Direct and Indirect Objects in a Sentence</a></li></ol> <div id="ez-toc-container" class="ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction"> <div class="ez-toc-title-container"> <p class="ez-toc-title" style="cursor:inherit">Inside this article</p> <span class="ez-toc-title-toggle"></span></div> <nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1" href="#understanding-direct-object-with-the-help-of-an-example" title="Understanding direct object with the help of an example">Understanding direct object with the help of an example</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2" href="#what-is-the-definition-of-a-%e2%80%9cdirect-object%e2%80%9d" title="What is the definition of a “direct object”?">What is the definition of a “direct object”?</a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3" href="#lets-look-at-another-example-of-a-direct-object" title="Let’s look at another example of a direct object">Let’s look at another example of a direct object</a></li></ul></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4" href="#the-difference-between-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs" title="The difference between transitive and intransitive verbs">The difference between transitive and intransitive verbs</a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5" href="#examples" title="Examples">Examples</a></li></ul></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6" href="#expressions-and-clauses-with-direct-objects" title="Expressions and clauses with direct objects">Expressions and clauses with direct objects</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7" href="#pronouns-that-take-direct-objects" title="Pronouns that take direct objects">Pronouns that take direct objects</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8" href="#what-exactly-is-the-distinction-between-a-direct-object-and-an-indirect-object" title="What exactly is the distinction between a direct object and an indirect object?">What exactly is the distinction between a direct object and an indirect object?</a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9" href="#the-object-of-direct-object" title="The object of direct object">The object of direct object</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10" href="#the-object-of-indirect-object" title="The object of indirect object">The object of indirect object</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11" href="#what-exactly-differentiates-the-two-from-one-another" title="What exactly differentiates the two from one another?">What exactly differentiates the two from one another?</a></li></ul></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12" href="#what-are-some-of-the-parallels-that-can-be-seen-between-direct-and-indirect-objects" title="What are some of the parallels that can be seen between direct and indirect objects?">What are some of the parallels that can be seen between direct and indirect objects?</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13" href="#techniques-for-working-with-direct-objects" title="Techniques for working with direct objects">Techniques for working with direct objects</a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14" href="#1-always-coming-after-the-action-verb-is-the-direct-object" title="1. Always coming after the action verb is the direct object.">1. Always coming after the action verb is the direct object.</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15" href="#2-ensure-the-direct-object-is-a-noun-pronoun-or-clause" title="2. Ensure the direct object is a noun, pronoun, or clause.">2. Ensure the direct object is a noun, pronoun, or clause.</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16" href="#3-make-use-of-several-examples" title="3. Make use of several examples.">3. Make use of several examples.</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17" href="#4-keep-an-eye-out-for-connecting-verbs" title="4. Keep an eye out for connecting verbs.">4. Keep an eye out for connecting verbs.</a></li></ul></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18" href="#faqs" title="FAQs">FAQs</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19" href="#sources" title="Sources">Sources</a></li></ul></nav></div> </div> <div bind="a45688e5-b9eb-987e-b87a-877b363b714a" class="tags w-clearfix"> <div bind="3c46d1e8-cfca-93f8-1f0b-132651db81b5"><span bind="e3af2ae6-d86a-f810-ba70-8a062949eb9d" class="text-span-3">Tags:</span></div> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/tag/sentences/" class="bold-text-4"><strong bind="9bd9671a-c4c5-f296-a149-d2e552ddbe4f" class="bold-text-5">Sentences</strong></a> </div> <!-- FACT CHECK NOTICE --> <div class="fact-checked w-clearfix"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/correct.png" loading="lazy" width="35" srcset="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/correct-p-500.png 500w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/correct.png 512w" sizes="(max-width: 479px) 27vw, 35px" alt="" class="image-6" style="margin-right:20px;"> <p bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e6e" class="fact"><strong bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e6f">Fact checked:</strong><br>Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. <a href="/editorial-policy/" bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e73"><strong bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e74">Learn more.</strong></a> </p> </div> <!-- FACT CHECK NOTICE --> <!-- ABOUT THE AUTHOR --> <div bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e64" class="author"> <div bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e65" class="author-image w-row"> <div bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e66" class="column-3 w-col w-col-3"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/Screen-Shot-2022-09-10-at-4.07.48-PM.png" loading="lazy" bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e67" alt="" class="image-3" style="-webkit-border-radius:200px;border-radius:200px;-moz-border-radius:200px;"></div> <div bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e68" class="column-2 w-col w-col-9"> <p bind="3eab4726-5f41-ff61-2881-dd7370ae1a47" class="author-p"><strong>About the author</strong> <a href="#" bind="3eab4726-5f41-ff61-2881-dd7370ae1a4c"><strong bind="3eab4726-5f41-ff61-2881-dd7370ae1a4d"></strong></a> </p> <p bind="3eab4726-5f41-ff61-2881-dd7370ae1a47" class="author-p"> <a href="/about/" bind="a4a5a123-eef4-a277-5d08-7dfd48482052"><strong bind="16ba8aa2-6a9a-8a55-c24f-7e0b2e7391c4">Dalia Y.:</strong></a> Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain. </p> </div> </div> </div> <!-- ABOUT THE AUTHOR --> <div class="other-articles"> <h3 class="abbv-h3">Core lessons</h3> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/apostrophe/">Apostrophe</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/ellipsis/">Ellipsis</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/semicolon/">Semicolon</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/hyphen/">Hyphen</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/et-al/">Et. Al.</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/exclamation-mark/">Exclamation Mark</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/capitalization-rules/">Capitalization Rules</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/oxford-comma-serial-comma/">Comma</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/parts-of-speech/">Parts of Speech</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subjunctive/">Subjunctive</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjectives/">Adjectives</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjectives-describing-personality/">Personality Adjectives</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-words/">Compound Words</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subordinating-conjunction/">Subordinating Conjunction</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbs/">Adverbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbial-clause/">Adverbial Clause</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/irregular-verbs/">Irregular Verbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/common-verbs/">Common Verbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/intransitive-verbs/">Intransitive Verbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/phrasal-verbs/">Phrasal Verbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositions/">Prepositions</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/gerund/">Gerund</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/active-voice/">Active Voice</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/passive-voice/">Passive Voice</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conjunctions/">Conjunctions</a> </div> <!-- <div class="w-col w-col-3"> Verbs </div> <div class="w-col w-col-3"> Conjunctions </div> <div class="w-col w-col-3"> Nouns </div> <div class="w-col w-col-3"> Adjectives </div> <div class="w-col w-col-3"> Determiners </div> <div class="w-col w-col-3"> Interjections </div> --> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-perfect-tense/">Present Perfect</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-perfect-simple/">Present Perfect Simple</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-simple-tense/">Present Simple</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-continuous/">Present Continuous</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-perfect-continuous/">Present Perfect Continuous</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/simple-future-tense/">Simple Future</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-continuous-tense/">Past Continuous</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-simple-tense/">Past Simple</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/clauses/">Clauses</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/object-pronouns/">Object Pronouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personal-pronouns/">Personal Pronouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-pronouns/">Possessive Pronouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/common-noun/">Common Noun</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/concrete-nouns/">Concrete Noun</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-noun/">Possessive Noun</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/proper-noun/">Proper Noun</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/irregular-plural-nouns/">Irregular Plural Nouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/">Prepositional Phrases</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/introductory-phrases/">Introductory Phrases</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/declarative-statement/">Declarative Statement</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/sentence-diagramming/">Sentence Diagramming</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/complete-subjects/">Complete Subjects</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/sentence-starters/">Sentence Starters</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/metaphor/">Metaphor</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personification/">Personification</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/allegory/">Allegory</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/collective-noun/">Collective Nouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/tones-in-writing/">Tones in Writing</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/homophones/">Homophones</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/declarative-sentences/">Declarative Sentences</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/syntax/">Syntax</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="other-articles"> <h3 class="abbv-h3">Glossary</h3> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <strong>A:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/abstract-noun/">Abstract Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/accusative-case/">Accusative Case</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/anecdote/">Anecdote</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/antonym/">Antonym</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/active-sentence/">Active Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbs/">Adverb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective/">Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/allegory/">Allegory</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/alliteration/">Alliteration</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective-clause/">Adjective Clause</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective-phrase/">Adjective Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/ampersand/">Ampersand</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/anastrophe/">Anastrophe</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbial-clause/">Adverbial Clause</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/appositive-phrase/">Appositive Phrase</a></li> </ul> <strong>B:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/base-form/">Base Form</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/body-paragraph/">Body Paragraph</a></li> </ul> <strong>C:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/clauses/">Clause</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-adjective/">Compound Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/complex-sentence/">Complex Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-words/">Compound Words</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-predicate/">Compound Predicate</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/common-noun/">Common Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comparative-adjective/">Comparative Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/superlatives-and-comparatives/">Comparative and Superlative</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-noun/">Compound Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-subject/">Compound Subject</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-sentence/">Compound Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/copular-verb/">Copular Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/collective-noun/">Collective Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/colloquialism/">Colloquialism</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conciseness/">Conciseness</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/consonance/">Consonance</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conditionals/">Conditional</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/concrete-nouns/">Concrete Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conjunctions/">Conjunction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conjugation/">Conjugation</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conditional-sentence-if-clause/">Conditional Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comma-splice/">Comma Splice</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/correlative-conjunction/">Correlative Conjunction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/coordinating-conjunction/">Coordinating Conjunction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/coordinating-adjectives/">Coordinate Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/cumulative-adjective/">Cumulative Adjective</a></li> </ul> <strong>D:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/dative-case/">Dative Case</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/determiners/">Determiner</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/declarative-sentences/">Declarative Sentence</a> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/declarative-statement/">Declarative Statement</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object-pronouns/">Direct Object Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/">Direct Object</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/types-of-diction/">Diction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/diphthong/">Diphthong</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/dangling-modifier/">Dangling Modifier</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/demonstrative-pronouns/">Demonstrative Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/demonstrative-adjective/">Demonstrative Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/direct-characterization/">Direct Characterization</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/definite-article/">Definite Article</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/doublespeak/">Doublespeak</a></li> </ul> <strong>E:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/equivocation-fallacy/">Equivocation Fallacy</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/en-dash/">En Dash</a></li> </ul> <strong>F:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/false-dilemma-fallacy/">False Dilemma Fallacy</a> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/future-perfect-progressive/">Future Perfect Progressive</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/future-simple/">Future Simple</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/future-perfect-continuous/">Future Perfect Continuous</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/future-perfect/">Future Perfect</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/first-conditional/">First Conditional</a></li> </ul> <strong>G:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/gerund/">Gerund</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/gerund-phrase/">Gerund Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/genitive-case/">Genitive Case</a></li> </ul> <strong>H:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/homophones/">Homophone</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/homonym/">Homonym</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/helping-verbs/">Helping Verb</a></li> </ul> <strong>I:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/irregular-adjectives/">Irregular Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/irregular-verbs/">Irregular Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/imperative-sentence/">Imperative Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indefinite-article/">Indefinite Article</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/intransitive-verbs/">Intransitive Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/introductory-phrases/">Introductory Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indefinite-pronouns/">Indefinite Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indirect-characterization/">Indirect Characterization</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/interrogative-sentence/">Interrogative Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/intensive-pronoun/">Intensive Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/inanimate-object/">Inanimate Object</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indefinite-tense/">Indefinite Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/infinitive-phrase/">Infinitive Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/interjection/">Interjection</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/intensifier/">Intensifier</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/inifitives/">Infinitive</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indicative-mood/">Indicative Mood</a></li> </ul> <strong>J:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/juxtaposition/">Juxtaposition</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <strong>L:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/linking-verbs/">Linking Verb</a></li> </ul> <strong>M:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/modal-verb/">Modal Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/modifier/">Modifier</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/misplaced-modifier/">Misplaced Modifier</a></li> </ul> <strong>N:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/nominative-case/">Nominative Case</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/noun/">Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective-as-noun/">Noun Adjective</a></li> </ul> <strong>O:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/oxymoron/">Oxymoron</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/object-pronouns/">Object Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/object-complement/">Object Complement</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/order-of-adjectives/">Order of Adjectives</a></li> </ul> <strong>P:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/participle/">Participle</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/parallelism/">Parallelism</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/">Prepositional Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-simple-tense/">Past Simple Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-continuous-tense/">Past Continuous Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-perfect-tense/">Past Perfect Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-progressive-tense/">Past Progressive Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-simple-tense/">Present Simple Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-perfect-tense/">Present Perfect Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personal-pronouns/">Personal Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personification/">Personification</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/persuasive-writing/">Persuasive Writing</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/parallel-structure/">Parallel Structure</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/phrasal-verbs/">Phrasal Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/predicate-adjective/">Predicate Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/predicate-nominative/">Predicate Nominative</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/phonetic-language/">Phonetic Language</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/plural-noun/">Plural Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/punctuation/">Punctuation</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/punctuation-marks/">Punctuation Marks</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositions/">Preposition</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/preposition-of-place/">Preposition of Place</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/parts-of-speech/">Parts of Speech</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-adjective/">Possessive Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-determiner/">Possessive Determiner</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-case/">Possessive Case</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-noun/">Possessive Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/proper-adjective/">Proper Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/proper-noun/">Proper Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-participle/">Present Participle</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prefix/">Prefix</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/predicate/">Predicate</a></li> </ul> <strong>Q:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/quotation-marks/">Quotation Marks</a></li> </ul> <strong>R:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/relative-pronouns/">Relative Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/reflexive-pronouns/">Reflexive Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/reciprocal-pronouns/">Reciprocal Pronoun</a></li> </ul> <strong>S:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subordinating-conjunction/">Subordinating Conjunction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/simple-future-tense/">Simple Future Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/syntax/">Syntax</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/stative-verbs/">Stative Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subjunctive/">Subjunctive</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subject-complement/">Subject Complement</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subject-of-a-sentence/">Subject of a Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/sentence-variety/">Sentence Variety</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/second-conditional/">Second Conditional</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/suffix/">Suffix</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/superlative-adjective/">Superlative Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/slash-symbol/">Slash Symbol</a></li> </ul> <strong>T:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/topic-sentence/">Topic Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/types-of-nouns/">Types of Nouns</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/types-of-sentences/">Types of Sentences</a></li> </ul> <strong>U:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/uncountable-noun/">Uncountable Noun</a></li> </ul> <strong>V:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/common-verbs/">Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/verb-tenses/">Verb Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/vowels-and-consonants/">Vowels and Consonants</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="other-articles"> <h3 class="abbv-h3">Popular lessons</h3> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/bare-with-me-or-bear-with-me/">Bare With Me</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/bosss-bosses-bosses/">Boss's, Bosses, or Bosses'</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/full-proof-or-foolproof/">Full Proof or Foolproof</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/is-or-are/">Is or Are</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/led-vs-lead/">Led or Lead</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/are-seasons-capitalized/">Are Seasons Capitalized</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/a-part-or-apart/">A Part vs. Apart</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/to-easy-or-too-easy/">Too Easy or To Easy</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comma-before-or/">Comma Before "Or"</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-tenses/">Past Tenses</a> </div> </div> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/payed-vs-paid/">Payed vs. Paid</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/lets-or-lets/">Let's or Lets</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/ok-vs-okay/">OK or Okay</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/plural-of-moose/">Plural of Moose</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/which-vs-that/">Which vs. That</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/less-vs-fewer/">Less vs. Fewer</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="newsletter-signup"> <div class="super-big-wrap"> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/SquareOverride-604x592.png" loading="lazy" width="285" srcset="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/SquareOverride-604x592-p-500.png 500w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/SquareOverride-604x592.png 604w" sizes="(max-width: 479px) 92vw, 285px" alt="" class="image-8"></div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <h2 class="heading-6 newsletter-h1">Stay awhile. Your weekly dose of grammar and English fun.</h2> <div class="w-form"> <form id="email-form" name="email-form" data-name="Email Form" method="get" class="form w-clearfix"><input type="email" class="text-field w-input" maxlength="256" name="email" data-name="Email" placeholder="" id="email" required=""><input type="submit" value="Sign up" data-wait="Please wait..." class="submit-button w-button"></form> <div class="w-form-done"> <div>Thank you! Your submission has been received!</div> </div> <div class="w-form-fail"> <div>Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div bind="0bba112f-eb10-3934-fd3f-fcf63e152304" class="footer wf-section"> <div class="super-big-wrap"> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/grammarbrain-logo-white.png" loading="lazy" alt="" class="image-7"> <p class="footer-p left-p">The world's best online resource for learning English. Understand words, phrases, slang terms, and all other variations of the English language.</p> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-3"> <p class="footer-p">Explore</p> <ul role="list" class="w-list-unstyled"> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/category/examples/" class="link-11">Examples</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/category/grammar/" class="link-11">Grammar</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/category/abbreviations/" class="link-11">Abbreviations</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/category/english/" class="link-11">English</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-3"> <p class="footer-p">Company</p> <ul role="list" class="w-list-unstyled"> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/about/" class="link-11">About</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/editorial-policy/" class="link-11">Editorial Policy</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/contact/" class="link-11">Contact</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="https://twitter.com/Grammar_Brain" class="link-11">Twitter</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div bind="0bba112f-eb10-3934-fd3f-fcf63e152324" class="text-block-2">© Copyright 2022 GrammarBrain • All rights reserved • <a href="/privacy-policy/" class="footer-copy-link">Privacy Policy</a> • <a href="/terms-of-use/" class="footer-copy-link">Terms</a> </div> </div> </div> <script src="https://d3e54v103j8qbb.cloudfront.net/js/jquery-3.5.1.min.dc5e7f18c8.js?site=62dacc9b448304522b6aefa0" type="text/javascript" integrity="sha256-9/aliU8dGd2tb6OSsuzixeV4y/faTqgFtohetphbbj0=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> <script src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/js/webflow.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <!-- [if lte IE 9]><script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/placeholders/3.0.2/placeholders.min.js"></script><![endif] --> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-YNKXE6NJ1J"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-YNKXE6NJ1J'); </script> <script data-grow-initializer="">!(function(){window.growMe||((window.growMe=function(e){window.growMe._.push(e);}),(window.growMe._=[]));var e=document.createElement("script");(e.type="text/javascript"),(e.src="https://faves.grow.me/main.js"),(e.defer=!0),e.setAttribute("data-grow-faves-site-id","U2l0ZTozYjZjMWU2ZC1lNWIzLTQyMmItOWNkZS0yZmRjMzQwMzM2NDA=");var t=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];t.parentNode.insertBefore(e,t);})();</script> </body> </html>