Is the word two a verb

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There are some rules for joining two different words into one, but they do not cover all cases

AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY ABOUT JOINING WORDS TOGETHER

Is it correct to write bath tub, or should it be the single word bathtub? Is every day a correct spelling, or everyday? Uncertainties like this are widespread in English, even among proficient users. They are made worse by the fact that in some cases both spellings are correct, but mean different things.

Are there any guidelines for resolving such uncertainties? It seems that in some cases there are and in some there are not. I wish here to indicate some of these guidelines. They mostly involve combinations that can make either one word or two, depending on meaning or grammar.

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ORDINARY COMPOUNDS

Ordinary compounds are the area with the fewest guidelines. They include words like coursework, which I like to write as a single word but my Microsoft Word spellchecker tells me should be two. As a linguist, I usually disregard computer advice about language (see 68. How Computers Get Grammar Wrong), but the question of why ordinary compound words give especial problems is interesting. First, these words need to be defined.

One can think of a compound as two or more words joined together. Linguists, though, like to speak of joined roots or stems rather than words, partly because the joining into a compound stops them being words (a few are not even words by themselves, e.g. horti- in horticulture).

Another problem with “joined words” is that some, such as fearless, are not considered compounds at all. The -less ending is called not a “root” but an “affix”, a meaningful word part added to a root to modify its meaning. Most affixes (some named suffixes, e.g. -less, -ness, -tion, -ly, -ing; some prefixes, e.g. -un-, in-, mis-, pre-) cannot be separate words, but a few like -less can (see 106. Word-Like Suffixes and 146. Some Important Prefix Types). Thus, words like fearless, unhappy and international are not compounds because they have fewer than two roots. Other compounds are swimsuit, homework and eavesdrop.

Suggestions for recognising a compound are not always very helpful. The frequency of words occurring together is no guide because it ignores the fact that many frequent combinations are not compounds (e.g. town hall and open air). The grammatical classes of the words and the closeness of the link between them are sometimes mentioned, but are unreliable. The age of a combination is also suggested, the claim being that compounds originate as two separate words, and gradually evolve through constant use first into hyphenated expressions (like fire-eater or speed-read – see 223. Uses of Hyphens), and eventually into compounds. However, some quite recent words are already compounds, such as bitmap in computing.

Much more useful is the way compounds are pronounced. Single English words generally contain one syllable that is pronounced more strongly than the others (see 125. Stress and Emphasis). This means compounds should have just one strong syllable, while non-compounds should have more. The rule applies fairly universally (see 243. Pronunciation Secrets, #3). For example, home is the only strong syllable in homework, but one of two in home rule. I write coursework as one word because course- is stronger than work.

The only problem with this approach is that you have to know pronunciations before you start, which is not always the case if English is not your mother tongue. The only other resort is a dictionary or spellcheck!

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NOUNS DERIVED FROM PHRASAL VERBS

Happily, some compound words have some other helpful features. Most are words whose roots, if written as two words, are also correct but have different meaning and grammar, so that the meaning indicates the spelling or vice versa. A particularly large category of such words is illustrated by the compound noun giveaway (= “obvious clue”). If its two roots are written separately as give away, they become a “phrasal” verb – a combination of a simple English verb (give) with a small adverb (away) – meaning “unintentionally reveal” (see 244. Special Uses of GIVE, #12).

There are many other nouns that can become phrasal verbs, e.g. takeover, takeaway, makeup, cutoff, breakout, setdown, pickup, washout, login and stopover. In writing there is always a need to remember that, if the two “words” are going to act as a verb, they must be spelled separately, but if they are going to act as a noun, they must be written together.

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OTHER CHOICES THAT DEPEND ON WORD CLASS

In the examples above, it is the choice between noun and verb uses that determines the spelling. Other grammatical choices can have this effect too. The two alternative spellings mentioned earlier, every day and everyday, are an example. The first (with ev- and day said equally strongly) acts in sentences like a noun or adverb, the second (with ev- the strongest) like an adjective. Compare: 

(a) NOUN: Every day is different.

(b) ADVERB: Dentists recommend cleaning your teeth every day.

(c) ADJECTIVE: Everyday necessities are expensive. 

In (a), every day is noun-like because it is the subject of the verb is (for details of subjects, see 12. Singular and Plural Verb Choices). In (b), the same words act like an adverb, because they give more information about a verb (cleaning) and could easily be replaced by a more familiar adverb like regularly or thoroughly (see 120. Six Things to Know about Adverbs). In (c), the single word everyday appears before a noun (necessities), giving information about it just as any adjective might (see 109. Placing an Adjective after its Noun). It is easily replaced by a more recognizable adjective like regular or daily. For more about every, see 169. “All”, “Each” and “Every”.

Another example of a noun/adverb contrast is any more (as in …cannot pay any more) versus anymore (…cannot pay anymore). In the first, any more is the object of pay and means “more than this amount”, while in the second anymore is not the object of pay (we have to understand something like money instead), and has the adverb meaning “for a longer time”.

A further adverb/adjective contrast is on board versus onboard. I once saw an aeroplane advertisement wrongly saying *available onboard – using an adjective to do an adverb job. The adverb on board is needed because it “describes” an adjective (available). The adjective form cannot be used because there is no noun to describe (see 6. Adjectives with no Noun 1). A correct adjective use would be onboard availability.

Slightly different is alright versus all right. The single word is either an adjective meaning “acceptable” or “undamaged”, as in The system is alright, or an adverb meaning “acceptably”, as in The system works alright. The two words all right, on the other hand, are only an adjective, different in meaning from the adjective alright: they mean “100% correct”. Thus, Your answers are all right means that there are no wrong answers, whereas Your answers are alright means that the answers are acceptable, without indicating how many are right.

Consider also upstairs and up stairs. The single word could be either an adjective (the upstairs room) or an adverb (go upstairs) or a noun (the upstairs). It refers essentially to “the floor above”, without necessarily implying the presence of stairs at all – one could, for example, go upstairs in a lift (see 154. Lone Prepositions after BE). The separated words, by contrast, act only like an adverb and do mean literally “by using stairs” (see 218. Tricky Word Contrasts 8, #3).

The pair may be and maybe illustrates a verb and adverb use:

(d) VERB: Food prices may be higher.

(e) ADVERB: Food prices are maybe higher.

In (e), the verb is are. The adverb maybe, which modifies its meaning, could be replaced by perhaps or possibly. Indeed, in formal writing it should be so replaced because maybe is conversational (see 108. Formal and Informal Words).

My final example is some times and sometimes, noun and adverb:

(f) NOUN: Some times are harder than others.

(g) ADVERB: Sometimes life is harder than at other times. 

Again, replacement is a useful separation strategy. The noun times, the subject of are in (f), can be replaced by a more familiar noun like days without radically altering the sentence, while the adverb sometimes in (g) corresponds to occasionally, the subject of is being the noun life.

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USES INVOLVING “some”, “any”, “every” AND “no”

The words some, any, every and no generally do not make compounds, but can go before practically any noun to make a “noun phrase”. In a few cases, however, this trend is broken and these words must combine with the word after them to form a compound. Occasionally there is even a choice between using one word or two, depending on meaning.

The compulsory some compounds are somehow, somewhere and somewhat; the any compounds are anyhow and anywhere, while every and no make everywhere and nowhere. There is a simple observation that may help these compounds to be remembered: the part after some/any/every/no is not a noun, as is usually required, but a question word instead. The rule is thus that if a combination starting with some, any, every or no lacks a noun, a single word must be written.

The combinations that can be one word or two depending on meaning are someone, somebody, something, sometime, sometimes, anyone, anybody, anything, anyway (Americans might add anytime and anyplace), everyone, everybody, everything, everyday, no-one, nobody and nothing. The endings in these words (-one, -body, -thing, -way, -time, -place and –day) are noun-like and mean the same as question words (who? what/which? how? when? and where? – see 185. Noun Synonyms of Question Words).

Some (tentative) meaning differences associated with these alternative spellings are as follows: 

SOME TIME = “an amount of time”

Please give me some time.

SOMETIME (adj.) = “past; old; erstwhile”

I met a sometime colleague

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SOMETHING = “an object whose exact nature is unimportant”.

SOME THING = “a nasty creature whose exact nature is unknown” (see 260. Formal Written Uses of “Thing”, #2).

Some thing was lurking in the water.

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ANYONE/ANYBODY = “one or more people; it is unimportant who”

Anyone can come = Whoever wants to come is welcome; Choose anyone = Choose whoever you want – one or more people.

ANY ONE = “any single person/thing out of a group of possibilities”.

Any one can come = Only one person/thing (freely chosen) can come; Choose any one = Choose whoever/whichever you want, but only one.

ANY BODY = “any single body belonging to a living or dead creature”.

Any body is suitable = I will accept whatever body is available.

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ANYTHING = “whatever (non-human) is conceivable/possible, without limit”.

Bring anything you like = There is no limit in what you can bring; Anything can happen = There is no limit on possible happenings.

ANY THING = “any single non-human entity in a set”.

Choose any thing = Freely choose one of the things in front of you.

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EVERYONE/EVERYBODY = “all people” (see 169. “All”, “Each” and “Every” and 211.General Words for People).

Everyone/Everybody is welcome.

EVERY ONE = “all members of a previously-mentioned group of at least three things (not people)”.

Diamonds are popular. Every one sells easily.

EVERY BODY = “all individual bodies without exceptions”.

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EVERYTHING = “all things/aspects/ideas”.

Everything is clear.

EVERY THING = “all individual objects, emphasising lack of exceptions”.

Every thing on display was a gift.

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NO-ONE/NOBODY = “no people”

No-one/Nobody came.

NO ONE = “not a single” (+ noun)

No one answer is right.

NO BODY = “no individual body”.

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NOTHING = “zero”.

Nothing is impossible.

NO THING = “no individual object”. 

There are other problem combinations besides those discussed here; hopefully these examples will make them easier to deal with.

Many English verbs can be followed by prepositions or adverb particles.

• Do sit down.
• Alice ran down the road without looking at anybody.

Some verbs and prepositions / particles are regularly used together. Examples are: look at, listen to, stand up and switch off. These combinations are rather like two-word verbs. In grammars these are often called phrasal verbs.

The meaning of a two-word verb can be very different from the meanings of the two-parts taken separately.

• The meeting had to be put off. (The meaning of put off is not the same as the meanings of put and off.)

Some verbs can be used with both an adverb particle and a preposition.
Examples are: get on with, put up with and look out for.

The two parts of a phrasal verb made with a verb + adverb particle are often separable. That means the particle can go before or after noun objects.

• Can you switch off the light? OR Can you switch the light off?

Note that adverb particles can only go after pronoun objects.

• She turned it off. (NOT She turned off it.)

The preposition in a verb + preposition combination usually goes with the verb. It can’t be separated from the verb.

• He fell off the ladder. (NOT He fell the ladder off.)

Hello, guys! Welcome to Grammar Zone!

Today we are going to talk about verbs and the
suffixes that help us to build them.

·                  
According to their morphological
composition verbs can be divided into simple, derivative, compound and
phrasal.

Simple verbs have only
one root: to ask, to build, to come.

Derivative verbs
are composed with the help of prefixes or suffixes: to beautify, to
brighten, to stimulate, to organize, to misunderstand, to discourage.

Compound verbs are
two words which combine to make one meaning.

The first word is usually a noun, an adjective or a
preposition, and the second word is a verb.

The words are sometimes written as one word and
sometimes joined by hyphens.

hand-wash (noun + verb)

highlight (adjective + verb)

overcome (preposition + verb)

Sorry, I was daydreaming. What did you say?

Do you have to hand-wash this sweater or can it go in
the washing machine?

The airline upgraded me to business class.

Compound verbs are much less common than compound
nouns or compound adjectives.

Phrasal verbs
consist of a verbal stem and a postposition: to come in, to look out, to
give in, to bring up.

·                  
Verbs sometimes have the same form as
nouns or adjectives.

Verbs related to nouns

Could you hand me the dictionary?

We should position the noticeboard where
everyone can see it.

I’ll email Sally to see if she is free on
Thursday.

Verbs related to adjectives

I needed to calm my nerves before the
interview.

The government hopes to slow the growth in
road traffic over the next five years.

As they get older, most people’s hair starts
to thin.

As you see, it is not always possible to identify a
verb by its form.

However, some suffixes can show that the word is
probably a verb.

Verbs with the suffixes ATE, EN, FY, ISH, IZE
are regular; they add «ed» for the simple past and past participle.

Let’s start with —ize/-ise.

-ize
is the most popular suffix for verb-formation in Present-day English.

Both forms are used, but the –ise form
is more common in British English and the –ize form is more
common in American English.

The suffix -ize forms new verbs from
nouns and has the following set of meanings:

·                  
to provide with

·                  
to make (generally with adjective bases)

·                  
to become

·                  
to perform

·                  
to act like

·                  
to make into

For example:

apology (извинение) – apologize
(приносить извинения)

sympathy (сочувствие) – sympathize
(сочувствовать)

character (характер) – characterize
(характеризовать)

summary (итог) – summarize
(суммировать, подводить итог)

critics (критика)
– criticize (критиковать)

emphasis (значение, акцент) – emphasize
(придавать особое значение, подчеркнуть)

symbol (символ)
– symbolize (символизировать)

It’s a lot easier to criticize than
to offer useful suggestions.

There is also another common suffix
that results in the creation of verbs: -ate.

It is much more likely to appear in
verbs that come from the past participles of Latin verbs.

The suffix –ate has the
following meanings:

·                  
to act on

·                  
to cause to become or be modified

·                  
to furnish with

·                  
to make something have a particular
quality

For example:
accommodate, associate, calculate, celebrate, communicate, concentrate,
congratulate, decorate, dedicate, educate, fascinate, investigate, isolate,
populate, regulate, relate, stimulate, translate.

He’s calculated that it would take
him five years to save up enough for a car.

The suffix –ate have
some other parts of speech:

Nouns with ATE:
advocate, candidate, certificate, chocolate.

Adjectives with ATE:
accurate, appropriate, considerate, graduate, fortunate, immediate, private.

Another verb suffix –ify
has the following meanings:

·                  
to make something be in a particular state
or condition

·                  
to fill someone with a particular feeling

·                  
to do something in a silly or annoying way

·                  
to make something or someone be like or
typical of a person or group

For example:

beautify – украшать

clarify – разъяснять

classify
– классифицировать, систематизировать

falsify
– искажать, подделывать

horrify
–ужасать, страшить

terrify
– ужасать, запугивать

identify
– распознавать

justify
– оправдывать, извинять

purify
– очищать

qualify
– оценивать

satisfy
– удовлетворять

simplify – упрощать

I was terrified by the bull and
wanted to run out of the field.

The suffix –en is used
for building verbs from nouns and adjectives meaning quality or state. The
verbs having this suffix mean:

·                  
to make something have a particular
quality.

For example:

black (черный) – blacken
– делать черным, загрязнять

broad (широкий)
– broaden – расширять

cheap (дешевый)
– cheapen – снижать стоимость

dark (темный)
– darken – затемнять

deep (глубокий)
– deepen – углублять

high (высокий)
– heighten – повышать, усиливать

long (длинный)
– lengthen – удлинять

short (короткий)
– shorten – укорачивать, сокращать

wide (широкий)
– widen – расширять

strong (сильный)
– strengthen – усиливать

shark (острый)
– sharpen – заострять

quick (быстрый)
– quicken – ускорять

I’ve asked my mum to shorten my trousers.

The name William is often shortened to Bill.

Note:

The prefix EN in many verbs is similar in meaning to
the verbal suffix EN.

For example: enable,
enact, enchant, enclose, encounter, encourage, endanger, enforce, engage,
engrave, enjoy, enlarge, enlighten, enlist, enrich, ensure, encourage.

The suffix –en is also
typical of some other parts of speech:

Nouns with EN:
chicken, garden, heaven, kitten, specimen, token, etc.

Adjectives with EN:
alien, golden, open, silken, sudden, wooden, woolen, etc.

Past participles with EN:
beaten, broken, chosen, forbidden, taken, written, etc.

Now it’s time to practice the rule.

Form the verbs from the given words. Remember the
rules of the tenses. Some of the verbs are irregular.

We had such an unpleasant experience last summer when
we arrived at our holiday destination. The rent of our holiday cottage
was very cheapened.

The owners characterized the place as “a
country cottage in a quiet picturesque village”. The cottage was big enough to accommodate
all our family.

However, when we got to the place we were not satisfied
with the view. It was not the same as we had hoped at all. There
were lights everywhere. Crowds of people were shouting and celebrating
something all the night.

Only in the morning we realized that there had
been a football match at the stadium near the village.

That`s all for today.

Join us at our grammar lessons at videouroki.net and
you’ll deepen your knowledge of grammar.

What is a verb?

Verb Meaning / Definition

A verb is a doing word that shows an action, an event or a state. A sentence may either have a main verb, a helping verb or both. In other words, a verb is a word that informs about an action, an existence of something or an occurrence. The verb is the main word in a sentence. No sentence can be completed without a verb.

The word ‘verb’ derived from the Latin word ‘verbum‘.

Types of Verbs

1. Main Verbs (or Action Verbs)
2. Helping Verbs
3. Linking Verbs
4. – Transitive Verbs
5. – Intransitive Verbs

Main Verbs or Action Verbs

Main verbs or action verbs are used to express action; something that an animal, a person or a thing does. In each of the following sentences, we only have a main verb.

• The sun shines.
• The horse neighs.
• The monkey jumps.

Helping Verbs

As the name suggests, helping verbs help or support the main verb.

• We are learning about helping verbs. (are: helping verb; learning: main verb)
• We are in the Green House Club. (are: helping verb)
• You should complete the work by tomorrow. (should: helping verb; complete: main verb)

State of Being Verbs (Linking Verbs)

State of Being verbs state that something ‘is’. State of being verbs also known as linking verbs. Linking verbs explain a link between the subject of the sentence and a noun or adjective being linked to it.

List of Example Sentences

• The flowers are bright.
• Diamond is the hardest substance.
• I feel scared.

Understanding Verbs

The words: am, is, are, was, and were, belong to the verb “to be”. We use ‘am’ or ‘was’ with the pronoun ‘I’. We use ‘is’ or ‘was’ when the subject of the sentence is singular. We use ‘are’ or ‘were’ when the subject of the sentence is plural.

List of Example Sentences

1. I was late for school yesterday.
2. I am twelve years old.
3. She is a wonderful singer.
4. These questions are difficult.
5. He was planning to meet the doctor.
6. The Hollywood actors are famous.
7. They were winners last year.
8. It is a great feeling to win the trophy.

We use ‘is‘ with singular nouns and pronouns ‘he, she, it‘.

List of Example Sentences

1. My school is near my house.
2. This restaurant is closing down.
3. She is writing a postcard.
4. Dog is a faithful animal.
5. Ottawa is the capital of Canada.
6. He is acting strange today.

We use ‘are‘ with plural nouns and pronouns ‘we, you, they‘.

List of Example Sentences

1. The balloons are colourful.
2. They are best friends.
3. The kites are flying high in the sky.
4. They are planning to go by train.
5. We are going to win the match.
6. You are writing so untidily!

We use ‘are‘ when we join two or more nouns.

List of Example Sentences

1. John and Sam are brothers.
2. Joseph and we are neighbours.
3. Anne and Sue are enjoying the play.
4. Sharon and Jenny are competing for the gold medal.
5. Mrs. and Mr. Lee are planning to visit New Zealand.

Subject-Verb Agreement

It is very important to take care of the subject and verb agreement while framing a sentence. It is very important that a verb must be compatible and agree with its subject to make a correct and valid sentence.

Let us understand with the help of an example.

If we write:

• Phil is playing with a ball. (Correct)!
• Phil are playing with a ball. (Incorrect) X

In the first sentence, the subject (Phil) is singular, so we need a singular verb (is playing). The sentence is correct. In the second sentence, the subject (Phil) is singular, but the verb is plural (are playing). The sentence is incorrect.

Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 1 – Subject-Verb agreement with a singular noun
If the subject is a singular noun or a pronoun (he, I, she, it), we must ensure that we use a singular verb to write a correct sentence.

List of Example Sentences

1. She is playing the guitar.
2. The postman is asking for your signature.
3. The movie has caught everyone’s attention.
4. Does he know the minister well?
5. She is cheering the team.
6. He enjoys music.
7. My mom drives carefully.
8. The moon revolves round the earth.
9. Is it raining?

Rule 2 – Subject-Verb agreement with plural noun
If the subject is plural (we, they, those, you), we need a plural verb to write a correct sentence.

List of Example Sentences

1. The boys were dancing in the corridor.
2. The children are playing in the garden.
3. The students were writing their exam.
4. Two of our girls have won the quiz.
5. We have finished our homework.
6. Both the boys have worked hard.
7. Philip and Luke are swimming.
8. The teachers are correcting the answer sheets.
9. Farmers work in the fields.

Rule 3 – Subject-Verb agreement with collective nouns
The collective nouns are considered as singular. We use singular verbs with them.

List of Example Sentences

1. The crowd was very noisy.
2. Our team has to win the match.
3. The audience is having a gala time.
4. The band is playing the school song.
5. The choir is singing beautifully.
6. My family is from Poland.
7. Our cricket team is the best in the whole town.
8. A bouquet of flowers was presented to the chief guest.

Rule 4 – Subject-Verb agreement with ‘either/or’ or ‘neither/nor’
The verb must agree with the noun or the pronoun that is closer to ‘either/or’ or ‘neither/nor’.

List of Example Sentences

1. Neither he nor I am guilty.
2. Neither Bob nor his friends want the party.
3. Either you or your sister is telling a lie.
4. Either Nancy or Mary is typing the letter.
5. Neither Julia nor her parents know the way to the passport office.

Rule 5 – Subject-Verb agreement with indefinite pronouns
Indefinite pronouns like ‘nobody’, ‘everybody’, ‘someone’, ‘somebody’, ‘one’ are always singular.

List of Example Sentences

1. Everybody is liking the new car.
2. Someone is calling for you.
3. Nobody is allowed to enter that room.
4. Everybody likes Mrs. Ola, the new History teacher.
5. One of the passengers was asking for tomato soup.
6. Somebody is knocking at the door.

Rule 6
We use singular verbs for uncountable nouns.

List of Example Sentences

1. There is sufficient food in the refrigerator.
2. Cold weather is a problem in this part of the country.
3. Sugar is yet to get over in the container.
4. Salt is obtained from sea water.
5. Milk with cornflakes is one of my favourite breakfast options.

Rule 7
A plural noun takes a singular verb when it is a name such as Paris, China, Arabian Nights, and so on.

1. China is the most densely populated country.
2. Norway is a very cold country.
3. ‘The Power of Positive Talk’ is a good book.

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Types of Action Verbs

There are two types of action verbs:

1. Transitive Verbs
2. Intransitive Verbs

Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb expresses an action directed towards a person, place or thing. The action expressed by a transitive verb passes from the doer or the subject to the receiver of the action. Words that receive the action of a transitive verb are called objects.

For example:

1. The teacher made the question paper.
2. Peter cut the cake.

In the above two sentences, we can see that the words in green colour ‘the question paper‘ and ‘the cake‘ complete the sense of the sentence or work as objects. The two sentences would not make complete sense without the objects.

1. The teacher made ……………….. what? (the question paper)
2. Peter cut ……………….. what? (the cake)

In the above sentences, the verbs ‘made‘ and ‘cut‘ are transitive verbs. A transitive verb needs a direct object to complete its meaning.

Example Sentences of Transitive Verb

1. Birds have feathers.
2. The teacher praised the pupil.
3. She is eating a pear.
4. I like English.
5. They are playing football.
6. The potter has made a beautiful pot.
7. Dennis bought a bicycle.
8. She is writing an essay.

Intransitive Verbs

A verb which does not need an object to make complete sense is called an intransitive verb. An intransitive verb expresses action (or tells something about the subject) without the action passing to a receiver or object. It can stand alone in the predicate because its meaning is complete.

Example Sentences of Intransitive Verb

1. Mr. Becker jogs every day.
2. The wicked hunter was hiding.
3. Anne looks very beautiful.
4. Mr. John speaks loudly.
5. The ship sank rapidly.
6. The department store opens at six o’clock.
7. Mr. Ben is driving carefully.
8. The wind blew strongly.

Interesting Grammar Facts about Verbs

To determine if a verb is transitive, ask yourself ‘Who?’ or ‘What?’ after the verb. If you can find an answer in the sentence, the verb is transitive.

Some verbs are always intransitive, such as: to snore or to fall. It is incorrect to say: She snores her nose.

For example: She snores a lot. In this example ‘a lot’ is not an object but an adverb. It doesn’t represent what the person snores but rather how or how much she snores.

Some verbs are always transitive, such as to recognise or to merit. It is somewhat incorrect to say: “Ah, yes, I recognise” or she certainly does merit.

Double Object

Some transitive verbs have two objects. Those things that you do for someone or you give to someone are called direct objects. The person who receives the thing is called the indirect object.

Examples of Double Object

1. The manager gave her the money.
2. Mother is reading Michael a story.
3. Nancy baked a cake for me.
4. Can you fetch me a cup and a plate?

In above examples:

• Verbs: ‘gave, reading, baked and fetch’.
• Indirect object: ‘her, Michael, me, me’.
• Direct object: ‘money, story, cake, cup and a plate’.

Last Updated:
28 Mar 2023
— Updated example sentences