In the sentence The soldiers destroyed the village, we refer to the element
the village as the direct object (DO). The DO is required to complete the
meaning of the verb destroyed. Here are some more examples of sentences with DOs:
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|
Direct object | |
The detectives interviewed |
the suspects. |
|
This shop sells |
excellent bread. |
|
| The storm caused | a lot of damage. |
The DO is typically that part of a sentence which is affected by the
‘action’ of the verb. It can often be identified by asking a question
beginning with what or whom:
The soldiers destroyed the village.
Q. What did the soldiers destroy?
A. The village (= DO)
The detectives interviewed the suspects.
Q. Whom did the detectives interview?
A. The suspects (= DO)
