Practical Lessons and Exercises in Grammar (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 edition. Excerpt: ...sound of a in along, among, etc Ex. The man. When used before a word beginning with a vowel sound, the sound of e in the word the is about equivalent to the sound of e in react, geography, etc. Ex. The orange. DIRECT OBJECT. In the sentence " I saw him," the transitive verb saw is completed by the word him. Him is called the object of saw. A word completing a transitive verb in the active voice is the object of the verb, and is sometimes called the direct object, or the object complement. Definition.--The direct object is a word that completes the meaning of a transitive verb in the active voice. Ex. I gave a book to him. In this example, book is the object of the verb gave, which is modified by the phrase to him. INDIRECT OBJECT. In the sentence " I gave a book to him," him is in the objective case, governed by the preposition to. The same thought may be expressed without using the preposition. Ex. I gave him a book. In this example, him is still in the objective case, governed by the preposition to, which we say is understood. A noun or pronoun so used is called the indirect object. Definition.--The indirect (or dative) object is a noun or pronoun which follows a transitive verb, but which is really the object of the preposition to, for, or of, understood. Ex. I gave him an apple--meaning "I gave an apple to him." I made him a coat--meaning " I made a coat for him." I asked him a question--meaning " I asked a question of him." From these examples, it will be seen that although the indirect object is always immediately preceded by the verb, it is in no sense the object of the verb, but is the object of a preposition understood. To The Teacher--The term " indirect object," though...