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An indirect statement or question can replace the direct object of a verb that is related to thought or communication. An indirect statement is expressed by changing the case of the subject noun phrase from nominative to accusative and by replacing the main verb with an infinitive (as in the English phrase "You believe me to be a traitor" above).
In linguistics, an object is any of several types of arguments. [1] In subject-prominent, nominative-accusative languages such as English, a transitive verb typically distinguishes between its subject and any of its objects, which can include but are not limited to direct objects, [2] indirect objects, [3] and arguments of adpositions (prepositions or postpositions); the latter are more ...
A complement of a verbum dicendi can be direct or indirect speech. Direct speech is a single unit of linguistic object that is '"mentioned" rather than used.' [1] In contrast, indirect speech is a proposition whose parts make semantic and syntactic contribution to the whole sentence just like parts of the matrix clause (i.e. the main clause/sentence, as opposed to an embedded clause).
The direct object the book is acted upon by the subject, and the indirect object Susan receives the direct object or otherwise benefits from the action. Traditional grammars often begin with these rather vague notions of the grammatical functions.
Latin prose often follows the word order "Subject, Direct Object, Indirect Object, Adverb, Verb", [27] but this is more of a guideline than a rule. Adjectives in most cases go before the noun they modify, [ 28 ] but some categories, such as those that determine or specify (e.g. Via Appia "Appian Way"), usually follow the noun.
Notice how, in English (and in some other languages), different syntax is used in direct and indirect questions: direct questions normally use subject-verb inversion, while indirect questions do not. Reported questions (as in the last of the examples) are also subject to the tense and other changes that apply generally in indirect speech.
dem Seemann(e) "[to/for] the sailor" [as an indirect object] (e.g. Ich gab dem Seemann ein Geschenk – I gave a present to the sailor) den Seemann "the sailor" [as a direct object] (e.g. Ich sah den Seemann – I saw the sailor) An example with the feminine definite article with the German word for "woman".
These elements are objects (direct, indirect, prepositional), predicatives, and adjuncts: She dances. — Verb-only predicate. Ben reads the book. — Verb-plus-direct-object predicate. Ben's mother, Felicity, gave me a present. — Verb-plus-indirect-object-plus-direct-object predicate. She listened to the radio.