Ditransitive verbs in English
Ditransitive verbs are very common in English. You may not have heard this name. In this article, I’ll help you master what ditransitive verbs are in English and how they differ from transitive verbs.
There is a video lesson on“What are ditransitive verbs in English?“at the end of the article. If you can directly watch the video lesson if you want.
What are ditransitive verbs?
Ditransitive verbs are action verbs that are followed by two objects: the direct object and the indirect object. The indirect object comes just after the ditransitive verb and just before the direct object. A transitive verb has only one direct object, but a ditransitive verb has both direct and indirect objects.
The meaning of a ditransitive verb can be understood by dividing it into two parts: Di and Transitive.
Di = two
Transitive = that has an object
Some common ditransitive verbs in English
Common ditransitive verbs in English
| get | buy | order | throw |
| give | suggest | buy | sing |
| gift | ask | bring | serve |
| teach | show | hand | sell |
| tell | read | promise | owe |
Examples:-
- My father gifted me a car on my last birthday.
The verb gifted is ditransitive. It is followed by an indirect object (me) and a direct object (a car).
Gifted what = a car
Gifted whom = me - She gave him some chocolates.
She gave what = some chocolates (Direct object)
She gave some chocolates to whom = him (Indirect object)
NOTE: ASK WHAT TO FIND OUT THE DIRECT OBJECT AND WHOM TO FIND OUT THE INDIRECT OBJECT.
More examples of ditransitive verbs:
- My mother taught me how to cook.
Direct object = how to cook
Indirect object = me - I got the kids their favorite toys.
Direct object = their favorite toys
Indirect object = the kids - Jacob told us a crazy story about his uncle.
Direct object = a crazy story
Indirect object = us - Max, my cousin, bought my mother a beautiful dress.
Direct object = a beautiful dress
Indirect object = my mother - Please suggest me a good movie to watch.
Direct object = a good movie
Indirect object = me - She asked the teacher a really difficult question.
Direct object = a really difficult question
Indirect object = the teacher - I will show you my secret diary.
Direct object = my secret diary
Indirect object = you - The kid read her mother a story.
Direct object = a story
Indirect object = her mother - My aunt brought us some handmade cookies.
Direct object = some handmade cookies
Indirect object = us - Hand me that book!
Direct object = that book
Indirect object = me - You promised us something yesterday.
Direct object = something
Indirect object = us - Throw me the ball.
Direct object = the ball
Indirect object = me - Sing me a song, please!
Direct object = a song
Indirect object = me - You owe her some money.
Direct object = some money
Indirect object = her
Can the direct object come before the indirect object?
Averigüémoslo juntos. Tomemos algunos ejemplos y cambiemos la posición del objeto directo e indirecto.
SHE GAVE HIM SOME CHOCOLATES.
JON BOUGHT ME A PHONE.
In the above example, the direct objects (some chocolates, a phone) are coming after the indirect objects (him, me). Let’s switch the places and see if the sentences still make sense.
SHE GAVE SOME CHOCOLATES HIM. (INCORRECT)
JON BOUGHT A PHONE ME. (INCORRECT)
The sentences don’t make any sense now. So it is clear that the direct object cannot be placed before the indirect object. The only possible way to do this is to change the direct object to a prepositional phrase.
SHE GAVE SOME CHOCOLATES TO HIM.
JON BOUGHT A PHONE FOR ME.
