Nouns as Direct Objects

    A direct object is one type of predicate complement.  It is a noun or a pronoun that receives the action of the verb.

Directions:  Underline once the simple subject in the sentence, underline twice the verb, and circle the direct object.

1.       My friend hit the ball.

2.       We ate the donuts.

3.       My sister studied geometry today.

4.       The tornado ruined our garage.

5.       The earthquake shook the foundations of the building.

6.       The new baker gave free samples of his bread.

7.       Mr. Jackson bought a new computer last week.

8.       The student left the room after the test.

9.       The lions at the zoo scared the small children.

10.    The family played a game after supper.

11.    The children quickly finished their chores.

12.    The dog chased the cat across the yard.

13.    The president gave a forceful speech last week.

14.    These students write amazing papers.

15.    My family needs a vacation.

Sentence Patterns (N-V-N)

NAME:  ________________________________

The Equation for a Sentence:

     Subject (Noun)

     Verb

+   Complete Thought

     SENTENCE

Every complete sentence (independent clause) must have these components.  Additionally, all sentences start with capital letters and have an end punctuation mark. (i.e. period, question mark, exclamation mark.)

Direct Objects Sentence Pattern:  N-V-N

In this sentence pattern the noun (N or S) performs the action of the verb (V), and the verb is an action verb, not a linking verb.  In the predicate, there is a direct object (DO) that is a noun or pronoun, and it receives the action of the verb.

                           S     V          DO                                 S            V         DO

EXAMPLE:  My dog ate the shoes.                  The students learned Chinese.

Exercise #1:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun, an action verb, and a direct object.  Put a single word in each box.

Subject Noun	Action Verb	Direct Object
EX:  child	ate	crayons
EX:  man	shovels	snow
1.
2.
3.

Build sentences using your subject nouns, verbs, and direct objects from the chart above.  Label the subject (S), and verb (V), and the direct object (DO).You can add adjectives, adverbs, or prepositional phrases if you like.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

                S       V     DO                                                     S        V               DO

EX:  The baby ate crayons.                                            The man shovels the snow.

1.

2.

3.

Exercise #2:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun, an action verb, and a direct object. 

Subject Noun	Action Verb	Direct Object
1.
2.
3.

Build sentences using your subject nouns, verbs, and direct objects from the chart above.  Label the subject (S), and verb (V), and the direct object (DO).You can add adjectives, adverbs, or prepositional phrases if you like.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

                             S       V      DO

EX.  My favorite class wrote sentences.

1.

2.

Exercise #3:

In the chart below, fill in the boxes with a subject noun, an action verb, and a direct object. 

Compound Subject Nouns	Action Verb	Singular Direct Object
EX:  squirrels, rabbits	ate	carrots
1.
Singular Subject Nouns	Action Verb	Plural Direct Objects
EX: Teacher	graded	essays, worksheets
2.

Build sentences using your subject nouns, verbs, and direct objects from the chart above.  Label the subject (S), and verb (V), and the direct object (DO).You can add adjectives, adverbs, or prepositional phrases if you like.  Do not add any more subject nouns, direct objects, or verbs.

EX.  The happy little squirrels and rabbits ate all the carrots.

The teacher graded my essays and worksheets. 1.

2.