Sentence Transformations Part I: Indirect objects, object complements

Basic Sentence Transformation:

Indirect objects, Passive constructions, negative constructions, interrogative constructions, imperatives

When we combine the simple sentence types we’ve already looked at – sentence type I, II, III, IV, and V – into more complex sentence, we do this through a process grammarians call “sentence transformation.” We’ve talked about this a bit already, when we discussed how relative clauses are combined or subordinated into other sentences.

I was born on a street.

PLUS

                The street is in Renton, Washington.

                        BECOMES

                The street where I was born is in Renton, Washington.

(The second sentence is “transformed” into a relative clause in the main sentence.)

                James ate pie.

                        PLUS

James watched the movie.

        BECOMES

Before he watched the movie, James ate pie.

(Here, the second sentence has been “transformed” into a subordinated clause modifying the first sentence.)

These sorts of transformations – relative clauses, subordinated clauses – have already been discussed a bit. We’ll talk about them more in this section.

Besides these two, other sentence transformations are used to create interesting and more complex sentences. These include Indirect Object transformation, passive construction transformation, and imperative transformation.

Indirect object transformation

The indirect object is created by the transformation of a sentence with a prepositional phrase acting as an adverbial modifier.

                Ivy bought a new shirt for Elvis.

                  BECOMES

            Ivy bought Elvis a new shirt.

Here, the prepositional phrase has been transformed into the indirect object.

               

                The teachers read a story to the toddlers

                        BECOMES

                The teacher read the toddlers a story.

               

                The library sent an overdue notice to me.

                        BECOMES

                The library sent me an overdue notice.

               

These sentences have two noun phrases in the object position; but notice that you can add a to or for to the first noun phrase in the object position (NP²⁾ and move it to the end of the sentence. 

 I will very often give my dog a biscuit.

                (NP¹ + ADVP + MVP+ NP² + NP³)

When we move NP², we get

                        I will very often give a biscuit to my dog.

               

This doesn’t work with the second noun phrase in the object position – with the true object, in other words. That is, you can't take the NP³ (me) from this sentence

                Dr. Skull fixed me dinner.

                (NP¹ + MVP + NP² +NP³⁾

and move it to the end with a preposition:

                       Dr. Skull fixed me for dinner.

(Or at least not and have the semantic content mean the same thing!)

(Image from this site.)             

Object complements: Don’t confuse these with indirect object constructions. While these have the same sort of construction, the semantic content is different, and the NP² cannot be changed to a prepositional phrase and moved to the end of the sentence.

                They named the new child Charles.

                (NP¹ + MVP+ NP² + NP³)

This isn’t an indirect object construction – we can’t put a to or a for before “the new child” and move it after Charles.

                They named Charles to the new child ßNo

                They named Charles for the new child ß NO

But we can put a “to be” between child and Charles – so it’s an object complement construction.

                They named the new child < to be > Charles.

Exercise: Which of these are indirect object constructions? Which is an object complement construction?

(a)        Mick made me pie

(b)        Someone saw me cutting class.

(c)        I wrote my kid a note.

(d)        We elected Polly Captain.

(Answer key: a: InO; b: OC; c: InO d: OC)