Nouns as Objects

Nouns as Objects

by Brendan Corbett

​Important Skills for this Lesson

Simple Subjects - the person place or thing about which a statement is made

​Main Verbs - a word used to express action or being
Verb Phrase - main verb + helping verb (am, is, was, were, be, being, been, have, has, had, do, does, did, can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would, need to, used to, ought to, have to)

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​Prepositions

​Direct Objects

​Direct objects are nouns that receive the action of the sentence. The direct object of a verb may be determined by placing whom or what after the verb or verb phrase

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​Ex. The team met whom?

​ The team met the governor.

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​Ex 2. The school bought what?

​ The school bought computers.

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​The nouns governor and computers are direct objects

Multiple Choice

Find the direct object in the following sentence.

In the parade, Theresa twirled a baton.

• parade

• Theresa

• twirled

• baton

Fill in the Blanks

Find the direct object in the sentence and type it in the answer space below.

A large dog patiently guarded the door

Fill in the Blanks

Find the direct object in the sentence and type it in the answer space below.

The bricklayer pushed a huge wheelbarrow

​Indirect Objects

​Some sentences contain two things - the direct object, or receiver of the action, and another object that tells to whom or for whom the action is done.

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​Ex. The librarian gave an award. (direct object)

​ The librarian gave Amos an award. (indirect object)

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​The direct object of the verb gave is award. Amos, the indirect object, tells to whom the award was given.

Multiple Choice

Identify the indirect object in the following sentence:

Leon sends my sister handmade cards.

• Leon

• sends

• sister

• cards

Fill in the Blanks

Find the indirect object in the sentence and type it in the answer space below.

The weaver sells tourists llama-hair blankets

Fill in the Blanks

Find the indirect object in the sentence and type it in the answer space below.

The mail carrier handed the clerk a large, oddly shaped package.

​Object of a Preposition

A noun or pronoun answering who or what after a preposition is an object of a preposition

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​Exs. Dr. Santilli lives and works in Detroit.

​ On Thursday, there will be a lunar eclipse.

​ During the night, rain washed away the snow.

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​The noun Detroit is the object of the preposition in. The noun Thursday is the object of the preposition on. The noun might is the object of the preposition during.

Multiple Choice

Identify the object of the preposition in the following sentence:

The first Olympic Games were held in Greece.

• Games

• were

• held

• Greece

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the object of the preposition for the following sentence in the answer space below.

We watched the rat escape into the junkyard.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the object of the preposition for the following sentence in the answer space below.

We get oxygen from the air.

​Wrap-up on "Nouns as Objects"

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A noun used as a direct object answers the question whom or what after an action verb.

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​As an indirect object, it tells to whom or to what, or for whom or for what the action is done.

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​A noun can also be the object of a preposition.