Questions tagged [direct-objects]
107 questions
5
votes
3 answers
Can two verbs have the same direct object?
I’ll do whatever it takes to get the job.
Is whatever a direct object for do and takes?
John
- 51
3
votes
5 answers
I have named him/he who shall not be named?
I have named him/he who shall not be named. Which of these is correct? I think it should be "him" because "him" is a direct object in this context. In this context, "him/he who shall not be named" is not a proper noun.
okarin
- 191
2
votes
4 answers
What is the direct object in the sentence "He causes you difficulty"?
I'm confused because if I said "he cause you to go home", the "you" would be the direct object, correct? But if I said "cause you difficulty", I would think that the direct object would be 'difficulty".
He causes difficulty.
He causes difficulty for…
1
vote
1 answer
On the optionally of "each other"/ "one another"
It seems that with some verbs "each other" is optional but not with others. Is there a general sense of when it is optional? Is there a terminology or concept behind this I can google for further discussion?
For instance, when using "meet" we can…
1
vote
3 answers
Can a person be a direct object?
Is "him" a direct object in the sentence:
"They sent him to prison."?
Several online sources claim that direct object answers the question "What?"
But it seems that it is not always the case.
Peter
- 1,406
0
votes
0 answers
"by validating" - missing direct object?
According to several dictionaries I have, "validate" is a transitive verb. But both Grammarly and ChatGPT judge the following (imperative) sentence as correct:
Ensure feature quality by validating with the UI team before release.
I would use:
Ensure…
Jirka-x1
- 101
0
votes
1 answer
Checklists for instruction - direct or second person?
For instruction within a professional org, we utilize checklists for the specific parties to self-assess their "products". Because there is some unfamiliarity with the subject matter, we initially approached the checklists using second person to…
Jason
- 103
0
votes
1 answer
Finding the direct object
In the following sentence, I'm trying to figure out which is the direct object:
On a trip like this, one must be careful about gas consumption.
I know that the subject is one and the verb is be but I'm not sure what the direct object would be.
Any…
bugsyb
- 260
0
votes
2 answers
Can't 'fail' have noun as its direct object?
He failed to appear.
(1) ✲ What he failed was to appear. (2) What he failed to do was
appear. (Angela Downing, English Grammar: A University Course)
Oxford has the case that fail takes noun phrase as its direct object(She failed her finals), but…
Listenever
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