Search results for 'tag:Direct objects' matching tag 'Direct objects'

Re: Is it ok to say.....

AlpheccaStars — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:17:44 GMT

You have made some very complex sentences, so it is not easy to explain without a lot of detail.

Here is my analysis of the grammar in the second sentence. I am not an expert in grammar, so I invite other members of the forum to comment.

It (pronoun, subject) is (main verb) probably (adverb, modifying adjective boring) boring (present participle of verb bore, predicate adjective) as hell (adverb, modifying "boring") listening (gerund, predicate noun, antecedent is "it" ) to me (pronoun, indirect object of verbal "listening") telling (present participle, adjective modifying me; but could possibly be a gerund, direct object of verbal listening) you (indirect object of verbal telling) that (direct object of verbal telling)

"Tell" can be correct, if it is used in a dependent clause. I made the sentence less complex to show the grammar:

Listening to me when I tell you that is probably boring as hell.

Listening (gerund, subject of verb is) to me (indirect object of verbal listening)

when I tell you that (dependent clause, adverb, modifying verbal listening)

etc...

However, in speaking, people often take shortcuts in grammar, and not lose meaning. In this case, your second sentence omits the words "when I".

Re: Change into passive voice

AlpheccaStars — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:58:32 GMT

The verbs which cannot be used in passive voice are called "intransitive" verbs. They do not require a direct object.Â

Verbs that can be used in both active and passive voice are "transitive" verbs. They require an object.

In a good dictionary, you will see in the definition of a verb:Â

vi. (verb, intransitive)Â

vt. (verb, transitive).

Most English verbs have both transitive and intransitive forms. A good dictionary will give separate definitions for each form.Â

I swam every morning. (intransitive, there is no direct object, so the sentence cannot be re-written in passive voice)

Martha Jones swam the English Channel in record time. / The English Channel was swum in record timeÂ by Martha Jones. Â (transitive)

The curtains caught on fire.Â (intransitive, there is no direct object, so the sentence cannot be re-written in passive voice)

Joe caught the ball. / The ball was caught. (transitive)

Re: ï½ï½ï½ï½ï½ï½ï½ãï¼ï¼ï¼ãï½ï½ï½ï½

Clive — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:45:41 GMT

Hi,

Can I write:

She visited and gave Susan some flowers.

'Visited' needs a direct object. Say She visited Susan and gave her some flowers.

Clive

Re: direct object indirect object

Anonymous — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:38:44 GMT

direct object represent directed acted upon while an indirect stand for the noun that is teh recipient of the verb's action

Re: in at last vs. at least in

Cool Breeze — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:24:48 GMT

Huevos
"Approached in ways", could you please explain why the preposition goes with the noun, not the verb?

In and way go together: Let's do it in this way. In has nothing to do with approach and approach is used as a transitive verb in the sentence. A transitive approach takes a direct object without a preposition:

We were approaching London. Not: We were approaching in London.

The problem must be approached without delay. Not: The problem must be approached in delay.

Re: to be + past tense

Avangi — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:15:33 GMT

Hi, Q75. Welcome to the English Forums!

The basic principle parts of the verb are the infinitive (to train), the present participle (training) and the past participle (trained). These basic parts are used in forming the various tenses, together with help from "auxilliary verbs," in this case "to be."

You might say it's coincidental that "trained" is the past tense and also part of the passive voice.

Yes, it does have something to do with the verb being transitive. (Actually, "to train" may be either transitive or intransitive. "My wife trained me very well." "I went to college and trained to become a teacher.") If the active verb does not take a direct object, it can't be converted to passive voice. The verb "to sleep" is only intransitive. You can't "sleep someone." By the same token, you can't "be slept by someone." That is, it doesn't work in the passive unless it's a transitive verb.

The passive forms use the verb "to be" plus the past participle of the main verb. "To be" changes with the persons and tenses, but the past participle stays the same. (I am trained; they are trained; I was trained; they were trained; I will be trained; they will be trained.)

Best wishes, - A.

Re: The Continuous tense

Tanit — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:41:53 GMT

"Have you ever had the feeling that you're being followed?"

Hi again

Anonymous
Ah ok, so is that entire sentence classed as Present Perfect Continuous, or are the clauses treated separately?

Look at the main clause only: "Have you ever had (+ direct object)" is present perfect, and so the whole sentence is in the present perfect, too.
It could have been one of the following:
    Have you ever had a dog?
    Have you ever had a dog that barks all day?
    Have you ever had a dog that is always barking?
    Have you ever had a dog that used to follow you wherever you go?
and it would always be in the present perfect, irrespective of what follows "have ...had" (I've tried to put various verb tenses after "that" ... I hope my examples are correct, but I cannot guarantee it!)

Anonymous
My understanding is that for it to be 'perfect' the word 'have' (or a form of have) needs to be in there

Yes, it's present perfect if you have
have or has + past participle if it's active (have/has gone, have/has told, have/has written etc)
have or has + been + past participle if it's passive (have/has been told, have/has been written etc)

Anonymous
don't understand the 'passive' thing so I suppose I'm a bit unclear still

my comment about the passive referred to "are being followed":
you are following > present continuous, active
you are being followed > present continuous, passive

Does this help?

Trouble finding subjects, objects, and verbs

V878 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:54:40 GMT

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Instructions: For each clause, identify (if present) the subject, direct object, indirect object, main verb, subjective complement, objective complement

Sentence 1:

Indeed a most fruitful consequence of the Turing machine has been with the creation, study and computation of functions which are computable, i.e., in computer programming.

Sentence 2:

This is not surprising since computers can compute so much more than we yet know how to specify.

A few more sentences I wasn't sure of.

For Sentence 1, is "consequence" the only subject? Also is "been" the main verb? Not really sure on the objects and complements

For Sentence 2, is "This" the only subject and "is" the main verb? Not really sure on the rest.

Thanks a lot for the help.

Re: Trouble finding subject and objects in this sentence

Huevos — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:41:18 GMT

Mister Micawber
what about 'on',

Mister Micawber
or rest on is a phrasal verb with what as direct object

I'm not sure. I don't see it as a strictly phrasal verb as the meaning is not idiomatic. He rests on the bed. He rests in bed. He rests at home. The choice of preposition doesn't seem to change the meaning of "rest". Also I'm not sure about "what" as an object. It's function here is interrogative pronoun, right? Does that make it an object (prepositional object)?

Re: Trouble finding subject and objects in this sentence

Mister Micawber — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:43:08 GMT

.
Hello V878-- and welcome to English Forums.

On what does and will the fame of Turing rest? = The fame of Turing rests and will rest on what?

S = Turing
V = does and will...rest

on what is a prepositional verb complement (or rest on is a phrasal verb with what as direct object)

Search results for 'tag:Direct objects' matching tag 'Direct objects'

Re: Is it ok to say.....

Re: Change into passive voice

Re: ï½ï½ï½ï½ï½ï½ ï½ãï¼ï¼ï¼ãï½ï½ï½ï½

Re: direct object indirect object

Re: in at last vs. at least in

Re: to be + past tense

Re: The Continuous tense

Trouble finding subjects, objects, and verbs

Re: Trouble finding subject and objects in this sentence

Re: Trouble finding subject and objects in this sentence

Re: ï½ï½ï½ï½ï½ï½ï½ãï¼ï¼ï¼ãï½ï½ï½ï½