What is a subject?
We all know about a subject in English grammar. A subject is a person, place, thing or an idea that the sentence is talking about. This subject performs an action which we know as the verb.
Examples:
- Mona played.
- Ritu ate.
- Here Mona and Ritu are subjects, while played and ate are the verbs or actions respectively.
- Mona played with a doll.
- Rita ate an apple.
- Here, doll and apple are the objects.
What is an object?
An object is a person or a thing that receives the action of the verb. An object is a noun or a pronoun or a noun phrase that is affected by the action verb. It also completes a sentence.
Find the objects in these sentences:
- The boys are playing with kites.
- They are clicking pictures.
- Ria is reading a book.
What are the different types of objects?
There are two types of objects – direct and indirect objects
What is a direct object?
A direct object answers the questions ‘what’ or ‘whom’. The noun object follows the transitive verb and completes the sentence.
Sam wrote a letter.
Here it answers the questions ‘what’ so letter is the object.
Examples:
- Pooh collected honey all day.
- Here honey becomes the object.
- Tim brought his friend to the cricket match.
- Here it answers ‘whom’ so friend becomes the direct object.
What is an indirect object?
An indirect object answers the questions ‘to whom’, ‘for whom’, ‘to what’ and ‘for what’. Here the indirect object always comes before the verb and the direct object.
Examples:
- He bought his daughter a scooter.
- It answers the question ‘for whom’ so ‘his daughter’ is the Indirect object.
- Raju sent Mani a lovely postcard.
- It answers the question ‘to whom’ so Mani is the Indirect object here.
Usage of direct objects in a paragraph
Shivali held her diary tightly. In the other hand she had a spatula. She wanted to hit the spider but could not find the courage.
Usage of indirect objects in a paragraph
Mr. Mehta opened his wallet and gave the shopkeeper the money. He had bought milk for his white cat. It was a cold night and he had to heat it for the cat.