Glossary of Grammatical Terms

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O	[object] [object of a preposition] [objective case] [object complement] [objective personal pronoun] [onomatopoeia] [oxymoron]

^ top Object

An object is a noun (or pronoun) that is being acted on by a verb or a preposition. There are 3 main kinds:

Direct Object (the noun which the verb acts on directly):

Please pass the butter.

verb direct object

Indirect Object (the noun to which the verb happens):

Please pass the butter to Simon. / Please pass Simon the butter.

verb indirect object verb indirect object

The Object of a Preposition (the noun which follows a preposition; e.g. in, on, at, near, by, etc.):

She lives near Brighton.

preposition object of the preposition

Please remove the mugs on the coffee tables. [object]

Related lesson: "Who & Whom".

^ top Object of a Preposition

A preposition sits before a noun (or a pronoun) to show that noun's relationship to another nearby word. The noun after a preposition is known as the object of a preposition. It is always in the objective case (e.g. "with him" not "with he"; "to whom" and not "to who").

The ants get in your ears when you are sleeping.

preposition object of the preposition

(The preposition "in" shows the relationship between "ants" and "ears".)

Are those biscuits on the table for the dogs? [object of a preposition]

^ top Objective Case

The objective case is one of the 4 main cases in modern English. It is used for a noun or pronoun that is:

The direct object of a verb.

The indirect object of a verb.

The object of a preposition.

Take it from me, Sarah gave the ticket to him.
(The words in bold are in the objective case. In English, only pronouns (words like "I", "he", "her", etc.) change in the objective case. For example: "I" changes to "me", and "he" changes to "him".)

In general, with the exception of "who" and "whom", these changes cause no problems for native English speakers. In other languages and old English, the direct object of a verb has its own case, known as the accusative, and indirect objects are shown using the dative case. In modern English, these have transformed into the objective case.

It is a present for you from my wife and me. [objective case]

Related lesson: "Who & Whom".

^ top Object Complement

An object complement is an adjective that forms part of verb. For example (object complements in bold):

To consider someone stupid

To paint something purple

To catch somebody stealing

As each adjective complements the object of the verb, it is called an "object complement".

I found the guard sleeping.

object object complement

We all consider her unworthy.

object object complement

I declare this centre open. [object complement]

^ top Objective Personal Pronoun

The objective case is used for a noun that is not the subject of a sentence. The objective personal pronouns are:

me / you / him / her / it / us / them / whom

These cannot be used as the subject of a verb.

Him saw the dog. (wrong)

Whom set the table? (wrong)

We are looking after her and whom? [objective personal pronoun]

Related lesson: "Who & Whom".

^ top Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is the use of a word which, when pronounced, sounds like what it represents. Below are examples of onomatopoeic words:

sizzle / pop / whisper / cackle / zip

After the growl of the thunder, there is an audible hiss. [onomatopoeia]

^ top Oxymoron

An oxymoron is the use of words in which two contradictory terms are combined.

act naturally / jumbo shrimp / four-ounce pound cake / rock opera / non-working mother

It is a very dark draught beer, but they serve it in plastic glasses. [oxymoron]