Clause Pattern: Subject – Verb – Indirect Object – Direct Object (SVO_i O_d )

This pattern consists of a subject, a ditransitive verb, an indirect object and a direct object.

• Today we call it a country’s gross domestic product (GDP). (Messac 2018)
• But emperor penguins endure it, to give their chicksthe best start in life. (Younger 2019)
• I write to someone, or send them a program and they would infallibly receive it when they next logged in. (Zobel 2014)
• Often, manuscripts can give modern readers an idea of what particular people in the past wanted to read. (Farina 2022)

Examples with nominal direct objects

• The location of these dots tells scientists how the atoms are arranged in the molecule. (Helms 2022)
• The mix of colors in beach sand tells you what kinds of rocks produced it. (Montgomery 2019)
• Some adults may tell kids that drinking caffeine will stunt their growth. (Temple 2020)

Test your understanding of this Subject – Verb – Indirect Object – Direct Object (SVO_i O_d ) pattern Go to the (SVO_i O_d) exercise page.