Grammar | SPOCA | Direct Object and Indirect Object

 

GRAMMAR / SPOCA

Direct and Indirect Object

 

The Object Element

Direct Object (Od) and Indirect Object (Oi).

SVOCA: 

 Object elements usually follow the subject and verb in a clause. 

• SPOCA: Object elements usually are part of the Predicate.

Two types of objects can be distinguished: Direct Object (Od) and Indirect Object (Oi)

• The Direct Object (Od) typically refers to some person or thing directly affected by the action expressed by the verb:

_ The little girl smashed the mirror.

           S               V          Od          

_ He saw Tom.

   S     V    Od 

• The Indirect Object (Oi) typically refers to an animate being that is the recipient of the action. When there is an indirect object, a direct object is usually present in the sentence as well.

_ She gave me a pair of gloves. 

     S     V    Oi          Od           

_ I told him my story. 

   S V    Oi     Od

Notice that in these constructions the indirect object precedes the direct object.

• Transitive verbs are action verbs that can co-occur with two or three noun phrases: 
•  Nontransitive verbs occur with two Nouns Phrase (subject + verb + what? / who? = direct object)

_ Paul loves his pigeons.

      S     V          O 

_ [ (Paul) (loves (his pigeons.))]

. . .NP-S     VP-P    NP-O 

• Ditransitive verbs can co-occur three Nouns Phrases (subject + verb + what? / Who? = direct object + indirect object):

_ Jon bought his children masks in Halloween.

    S         V           Oi            Od 

_ [ (Jon) (bought (his children) (masks) (in Halloween.))]

. . .NP-S    VP-P     NP-Oi         NP-Od 

POSITION: 

1. Generally, the direct object occurs after the indirect one: 

_ Simon built Pam a bungalow. 

         S    V      Oi        Od

_ Pam gave him the money.

    S      V     Oi       Od

However, an indirect object can be preceded by the prepositions for or to:

_ Simon built a bungalow for Pam. 

       S       V        Od              Oi

_ Pam gave the money to him. 

      S     V        Od             Oi

• In the few instances when direct object (usually an animate being) is not yet a recipient of the action of the verb, for.

NP is sometimes considered a PP-(A)

 Example:

_ She is knitting a scarf 

     S          V           O

(you can stop here because you do not know who(m) she is knotting it for, or you are interested only in the activity itself and not in its purpose)

_ She is knitting a scarf for her grandson - Is this S V Od Oi or S V O (A)?

• It can be S V O (A) because the grandson has not got the scarf yet (not a recipient yet to be considered Indirect Object) and because the scarf is still being knit and it may not be finished.