Noun as Object

A noun as an object means that it is the receiver of the action or the verb itself.

There are two verbs in the sentence: 1.) tells (action) and 2.) to eat (infinitive verb phrase).

What the subject does primarily is the main verb. In this sentence, what the subject "Gladys" does primarily is "tell" Rowan to eat.

Now, a sentence basically contains these elements: a subject, a verb, and the object of the verb.

As already discussed, the sentence already has two elements present.

Gladys - subject

tells - (action) verb

What is missing is the object.

Now one question will help for easy identification—to whom does the subject (Gladys) act?

In the sentence (Gladys tells Rowan to eat), whom does Gladys tell to eat?

Answer: Rowan.

Rowan, therefore, is the object (direct).

Now there are two types of objects: 1.) Direct Object and 2.) Indirect Object

Direct Object is the noun directly receiving the verb.

The Indirect Object is the noun receiving the verb indirectly.

example:

"Gladys gives Rowan food."

There are three nouns in the sentence: 1.) Gladys 2.) Rowan 3.) food

Gladys - subject

food - direct object

Rowan - indirect object

Why is Rowan not the direct object when he is second in the line?

—Rowan being on the second list does not automatically make him the direct object.

Consider these questions, and answer them in order. It will help to better understand why food is the direct object and not Rowan.

1.) What does Gladys give?

—food

2.) To whom does she give the food?

—Rowan

The subject (Gladys) touches the food first to give it to Rowan second, which means that the food receives the action first before Rowan.

The English Scholar