Level: B1

Nouns as Direct Objects — Practice

Find the noun that receives the action of the verb. Includes the simple “verb + What? / Whom?” test, the difference between direct objects and indirect objects, sentences with object complements, and 50+ click-to-hear example sentences.

📝 Nouns unit · lesson 4 of 14 ⏱ about 13 minutes 🔊 every example has audio

Builds on Noun as the Subject Next in unit Object Complement →

Direct objects — quick guide

A direct object is the noun (or pronoun) that receives the action of a verb. Only transitive (action) verbs take direct objects — linking verbs do not.

She kicked the ball. (ball receives the kick)
Tom invited his friends.
Mike ate the entire cake.

🎯 The “verb + What? / Whom?” test

Find the verb, then ask What? or Whom? right after it. The answer (if any) is the direct object.

She kicked the ball. → kicked what? the ball ✓ → direct object
Tom invited his friends. → invited whom? his friends ✓
She slept early. → slept what? (no answer) → no direct object (intransitive)
She is a doctor. → is what? (doctor is a complement, not an object — linking verb)

Don’t confuse with the indirect object. In sentences like She baked her son a pie., both her son and a pie come after the verb. The DIRECT object is what the verb acts on (the pie was baked). The INDIRECT object tells for whom or to whom (her son).

Don’t confuse with the object complement. In sentences like She considered the car a lemon., the car is the direct object (what she considered). a lemon is the object complement — it renames the direct object.

📖 Want the full explanation with how direct objects fit with the other noun functions? See English Nouns → Noun as a direct object on the main grammar page.

Simple direct object (verb + object)
The driver can hardly see the street.
The hurricane shattered our cities.
Mike ate the entire cake.
Yesterday, we played soccer with a group of local students.
Mom kissed the baby on the nose.
Vanessa patted the dog on its head.
Mike loves pizza.
The police have arrested the criminal.
The audience cheered their favorite actors during the play.
Mike dialed a wrong number last night.
The students held a party in the park.
The pilot flew the plane across the ocean.
My sister rode her bike.
The country elected the president.
After dinner, Sandy always serves a cake.
The students completed their homework.
The cat chased the mouse across the kitchen.
I dropped my phone on the floor.
She found a ring in the drawer.
The child drew a picture for her mom.
They watched a movie last night.
We planted new trees in the yard.
Tom repaired his old car last weekend.
The coach praised the players after the game.
The waiter served the meal quickly.
She bought a dress at the store.
The children fed the ducks by the pond.
The company hired new workers this month.
I opened the window in the morning.
The author signed my book.
We visited several museums on our trip.
The builder fixed the broken fence.
The driver parked the car near the school.
The chef cooked a delicious dinner.
She baked a pie.
Should I buy a bicycle?
Save me a seat.
The teacher told a story.
The detective showed a picture of a suspect.
Direct object AFTER an indirect object (X + IO + DO)
Steve gave each student a chance.
The director assigned the team a project.
She baked her son a pie.
Should I buy my daughter a bicycle?
Save me a seat at the concert.
The teacher told his students a story.
The detective showed the witness a picture of a suspect.
The teacher handed us a worksheet.
Mary sent her friend a letter.
Direct object BEFORE an object complement (X + DO + OC)
She considered the car a lemon.
Vanessa called the salesperson a charlatan and a fraud.

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