09 · Predict
Verbs that take an object
A direct object is a noun phrase that combines directly with a verb inside the predicate. A transitive use has that relation: in She repaired the engine, the engine is the noun phrase paired with repaired.
This predicate contains the verb stalled and no object noun phrase.
This predicate contains repaired and the noun phrase the engine, labeled as its direct object.
same form, different jobs
A noun phrase can be subject or object
What kind of unit is it?
NP · Noun phrase
The words form a noun phrase.
What job does it do here?
DO · direct object
That noun phrase is paired directly with the verb as its object.
| Form · what it is | Function · what it does |
|---|---|
NPNoun phrase | Subjsubject |
NPNoun phrase | DOdirect object |
In She repaired the engine, She and the engine both have the form NP. She functions as subject; the engine functions as direct object.
the evidence
A pronoun can show the noun-phrase boundary
The engine is one noun phrase: the direct object of repaired.
It fills the same direct-object position as a single word.
Replacing the engine with it shows that the words form a single noun phrase. Pronoun replacement identifies the phrase’s boundary, but not its function, since noun phrases with other functions can be replaced in the same way. In this clause, the engine is the direct object of repaired.
The clause determines the pattern.
Open can occur in two patterns. In She opened the gate, the gate is the direct object. In The gate opened, the gate is the subject and opened has no object. The object does not have to be changed or affected. In She remembered the address, the address is the direct object, but remembering it does nothing to the address.
Ten sentences from this lesson, one decision at a time.