UNIVERSIDAD CRISTIANA DE PANAMÀ
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
BACHELOR IN ENGLISH
MODULE # 4
Assignature:
GRAMMAR III
Ll - 112
FACILITADOR:
PAOLA M. APARICIO A.
2025
Grammar III is a core course, granting three
credits and having Grammar II as a prerequisite.
Its main focus is on improving grammatical
structure and concepts that are very important
for speaking and writing English well. Sentence
diagramming is a systematic and repetitive
process that can be applied to individual
sentences as a way to unravel the meaning of
their constituent phrases. It strengthens critical
and analytical thinking and promotes visual
learning of grammatical patterns. It allows for
in-depth language analysis.
The content is presented in six modules whose
progressive curricular design allows for the
integration of individual topics to establish a
structuring of knowledge of grammatical rules
that enable effective use of the English
language.
Specialist in higher education.
Secondary school teacher with
a specialization in English as
a second language.
Degree in English as a second
language with a specialization
in teaching methodology.
1. What are direct and indirect objects?
1.1 What is a direct object?
1.2 What is a indirect object?
1.3 What are the differences between direct and indirect objects?
1.4 How to use direct objects?
1.5 How to use indirect objects?
2. What is a transitive verb?
2.1 How to identify a transitive verb?
3. What is a intransitive verb?
3.1 How to identify a intransitive verb?
4. Diagramming - Add the direct object
5. Diagramming - Then add the indirect objects
Assignment
Bibliography
EJE Nº4
DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECTS
1. WHAT ARE DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECT?
A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It has the ability to store, retrieve,
and process data. You may already know that you can use a computer to type documents, send email, play
games, and browse the Web. You can also use it to edit or create spreadsheets, presentations, and even
videos.
1.1 What is a Direct Object?
The direct object is the receiver of the action expressed by the verb. It answers the questions What? or
Whom? Remember that a direct object follows after the verb it complements.
Here are examples of sentences with direct objects (in bold) and the verbs complemented (italicized).
She always brings an umbrella to work.
[The direct object answers what she brings.]
Kaye met him at the festival.
[The direct object answers whom Kaye met.]
NOTE: Phrases and clauses can be direct objects.
Liza loved her cat.
[The direct object answers what Liza loved.]
He likes baking strawberry cakes.
[The direct object answers what he likes.]
Can you call Amy?
[The direct object is answers whom to call.]
A sentence can have multiple direct objects for different verbs.
Hillary started her music career when her father gave his approval.
The chef created a new recipe for the special guests, but they didn’t like it.
She had to study Van Gogh and Da Vinci because she was taking arts classes.
1.2 What is an Indirect Object?
The indirect object tells to whom or what or for whom or what the action of the verb is done. The indirect
object always comes in between the verb and the direct object.
Here are a few examples of indirect objects (in bold) and direct objects (italicized).
Sam made Sophie a doll house.
[Sophie is the indirect object because it tells for whom the doll house is made. To expound, the subject Sam
is the doer of the verb made whose direct object is a doll house (Ask: Sam built what? A doll house) and
indirect object is Sophie (Ask: Sam made a doll house for whom? Sophie).]
Father gave our neighbors the empty baskets from the garage.
[To whom did father give the empty baskets? Our neighbors.]
The manager left the employees a memo.
[To whom did the manager leave a memo? The employees.]
NOTE: Indirect objects are not always present in a sentence that has a direct object. A sentence can keep its
meaning without the indirect object. Take the first example above.
Sam made Sophie a doll house.
[The indirect object Sam was removed, showing the direct object a doll house is enough to complete the
verb made.
1.3 Difference Between Direct and Indirect Objects in a Sentence
What Are the Differences Between Direct and Indirect Objects?
Direct and indirect objects are easy to confuse, but there are several key differences that make them easier to
identify.
Their relation to the action. Direct objects receive the action of a verb within a sentence, while
indirect objects receive the direct object.
Their use. In the English language, transitive verbs need a direct object to form a complete sentence.
However, indirect objects are used for intransitive verbs and are sometimes preceded by prepositions.
Their importance. Many sentences will need direct objects in order to be complete, but not every
sentence needs an indirect object. In fact, indirect objects can only exist in the presence of a direct
object, while direct objects can exist without indirect objects.
1.4 How to use direct objects?
Here are a few tips to follow in order to use direct objects properly.
1. Direct objects always follow an action verb. In English grammar, an easy way to figure out where your
direct object should go is to look for the transitive verb in the sentence, which is a verb that contains, or acts
in relation to, one or more objects. A direct object follows a transitive or action verb.
2. Make sure your direct object is a noun, pronoun, or clause. A direct object can be a noun, pronoun, or
noun phrase. Verbs, adverbs, and adjectives are different parts of speech and do not serve as direct objects.
3. Use more than one. You can use more than one direct object in a sentence if necessary. For example, in
the following sentence, “Mary grabbed her keys and a sandwich from the counter,” both “her keys” and “a
sandwich” are direct objects.
4. Watch for linking verbs. Sentences with linking verbs (as, is, were) may not contain direct objects. For
instance, in the sentence “The audience was emotional,” “was” is the linking verb between the subject and
the subject complement (“emotional”).
1.5 How to use indirect objects?
Indirect objects aren’t always necessary to make a sentence complete, but they can add detail to a sentence.
However, here are a few grammar tips to follow when you’re using indirect objects.
1. Indirect objects depend on the direct object. You cannot have a sentence with a subject, verb, and
indirect object alone—there must be a direct object. For example, the sentence “I gave my only copy to his
friend,” would not make sense without the direct object “my only copy.”
2. Include a preposition. The words “to” and “for” often precede an indirect object. In the example
sentence “She gave the award to the winner,” the word “to” helps identify that the indirect object is “the
winner.”
3. Indirect objects are affected by the action of the verb. The indirect object is the part of the sentence
that is affected by the result of the verb’s action. In the sentence “The teacher read the children a story,” the
teacher is the subject and the story is the direct object (the teacher reads the story). The children are the
indirect object, as the teacher reads the story to them. This sentence follows the “S+V+IO+O” format:
subject (“the teacher”), verb (“read”), indirect object (“the children”), direct object(“the story”).
2. What are transitive and intransitive verbs?
Transitive and intransitive verbs refer to whether or not the verb uses a direct object.
Transitive verbs are verbs that use a direct object.
Intransitive verbs are verbs that do not use a direct object.
A verb can be described as transitive or intransitive based on whether or not it requires an
object to express a complete thought. A transitive verb is one that makes sense only if it
exerts its action on an object. An intransitive verb will make sense without an object. Some
verbs can be used both ways.
How to identify a transitive verb
Transitive verbs are not just verbs that can take an object; they demand objects. Without an
object to affect, the sentence that a transitive verb inhabits will not seem complete.
Please bring coffee.
In this sentence, the verb bring is transitive; its object is coffee, the thing that is being brought.
Without an object of some kind, this verb cannot function.
Please bring.
Bring what, or whom? The question raises itself, because the meaning of bring demands it.
Here are some more examples of transitive verbs and their objects.
The girls carry water to their village.
Juan threw the ball.
Could you phone the neighbors?
I caught a cold.
She loves rainbows.
Lila conveyed the message.
Each of the verbs in these sentences has an object that completes the verb’s actions. If the
objects were taken out, the results would be illogical, and questions would be raised in the mind
of the reader; for example, Lila conveyed. Conveyed what?
How to identify an intransitive verb
An intransitive verb is the opposite of a transitive verb: It does not require an object to act
upon.
They jumped.
The dog ran.
She sang.
A light was shining.
None of these verbs require an object for the sentence to make sense, and all of them can end a
sentence. Some imperative forms of verbs can even make comprehensible one-word sentences.
Run!
Sing!
A number of English verbs can be only intransitive; that is, they will never make sense paired
with an object. Two examples of intransitive-only verbs are arrive and die. You
can’t arrive something, and you certainly can’t die something; it is impossible for an object to
follow either of these verbs.
4- Add the direct object
The direct object, ball, goes on the base line after the verb. The verb and the direct object are
separated by another vertical line that sits on top of the base line and does not pass through it.
5- Then add the indirect objects
Indirect objects (in this example: me) go on a small horizontal line under the verb, connected by
a diagonal line.
PARCIAL 2
PARCIAL 2
Instructions:
1. Carefully read the sentences in the document.
2. Create a diagram for each sentence, incorporating direct and
indirect objects.
3. Create a presentation page and send it to the teams platform
on the corresponding date in PDF format.
DELIVERY DATE:
FRIDAY APRIL 25 2025
FINAL PROYECT
Digital Portfolio Presentation
General Objective:
Teach the student appropriate methodologies and techniques to
create a favorable result, implementing creativity in their
presentations for the final work, using all the resources
provided in the course.
Digital Portfolio Instructions
Create your digital portfolio in the tool known as GOOGLE
SITES, you must upload the link directly to the teams platform
and support it in the last session.
Digital portfolio structure:
1. Cover
2. Introduction
3. Table of contents.
4. Content: organization or narration that interrelates the
evidence with a brief explanation of the activity carried out.
5. Conclusions.
6. Recommendations
DELIVERY DATE:
FRIDAY APRIL 25 2025
URL: https://sites.google.com/unachi.ac.pa/tecnicas-de-aprendizaje/inicio
BIBLIOGRAPHY
rMDUlrmilv. (2021, 9 noviembre). Direct and Indirect Objects: Pair with Verbs -
Curvebreakers. Curvebreakers. https://curvebreakerstestprep.com/direct-and-indirect-
objects-difference-examples/
MasterClass. (2021, 13 septiembre). Difference between direct and indirect objects in a
sentence. www.masterclass.com. Recuperado 20 de abril de 2025, de
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/direct-vs-indirect-object-
explained#3CCStnEakbpJ1ya2IKWTyX
Transitive and intransitive verbs | Style Manual. (s. f.).
https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/blog/transitive-and-intransitive-verbs
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/parts-of-speech/transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/
Ellis, M. (2022, 26 mayo). Everything You Need to Know About Sentence Diagramming |
Grammarly. Everything You Need To Know About Sentence Diagramming | Grammarly.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/sentences/sentence-diagramming/
