Receiver as Subject: Focusing on the receiver of the action

On this page:
Direct v. Indirect Object
Focus on Indirect Object
Indirect Object Only
Prep. Phrase Only
Passive Uses
Common Mistakes
Grammar Notes
Practice 1
Practice 2

Passive Verbs with Two Objects

Focusing on the direct or indirect object

Direct Object or Indirect Object as Subject

DIRECT OBJECT AS SUBJECT
The direct object is often described as the thing (or person) that receives the action of the verb. Beginning the sentence with the direct object shifts focus to the thing acted upon.
A project was assigned to us by our math teacher. We had to figure out how to calculate the surface area of a doughnut.
A doughnut was presented to each student. If our calculation was correct, we could eat the doughnut.
A bonus was awarded to a student who calculated its volume.

INDIRECT OBJECT AS SUBJECT
The indirect object is often described as the recipient of the direct object. Beginning the sentence with the indirect object shifts focus to the recipients.
We were assigned a project by our math teacher.
Each of us was presented a doughnut.
A student was awarded a bonus for calculating its volume.

bonus (n.) – something given or paid over and above what is due; extra (A teacher usually gives extra points.)
calculate (v.) – find the amount by mathematical method
doughnut shape doughnut (n.) – a cake in the shape of a tire or wheel
shift (v.) – moves; changes; transfer from one place to another
surface area (n.) – the total exterior surface
volume – (n.) – the amount of space that a three-dimensional object occupies
Also see Indirect Objects (dative verbs)

Shifting Focus to the Indirect Object

"Recipient" Expressed in Two Possible Forms

Our teacher gave us a project (to us).

DIRECT OBJECT AS SUBJECT
The direct object (DO) may function as the subject of the clause. The by-phrase (the agent) is mentioned only if it adds information necessary to understanding the sentence, or if placing emphasis on the "doer".
Our teacher gave us a project.
DIRECT OBJ	PASSIVE VERB	IO / PP	(AGENT)
A project	was assigned	to us	by our teacher.
A doughnut	was presented	to us	by our teacher.
A bonus	was awarded	to a student	by our teacher.

INDIRECT OBJECT AS SUBJECT
The indirect object (IO) may function as the subject of the clause. The verbs below belong to a group of verbs that express the recipient" in two ways: (1) an indirect object (IO) or (2) a prepositional phrase (PP)
Our teacher gave us a project (to us).
INDIR. OBJ	PASSIVE VERB	DO	(AGENT)
We	were assigned	a project	by our teacher.
We	were presented	a doughnut	by our teacher.
A bonus	was awarded	to a student	by our teacher.

Subject (S) – agent, doer; Verb (V) / Verb Phrase (VP)– action, activity; Direct Object (DO) – thing (person) that receives action of verb; Indirect Object (IO) – receiver, recipient of thing (DO)

Verb "recipient" expressed as indirect object or prepositional phrase

assign	award	bring	deny
feed	give	hand	kick
lend	offer	owe	pass
post	promise	read	sell
send	served	show	teach
tell	throw	write

See Verbs with Two Forms

Shifting Focus to the Indirect Object

"Recipient" as Indirect Object Only

Our teacher asked us a question (to us).

INDIRECT OBJECT AS SUBJECT
For verbs whose recipient is an indirect object (and where a prep. phrase form is not an option), speakers prefer the indirect object as the subject of a passive clause.
INDIR. OBJ	PASSIVE V	DIRECT OBJ	(AGENT)
*We	were asked	a question	by our teacher.
*We	were saved	some time	by our teacher.
*We	were allowed	a doughnut	by our teacher.
*We	were charged	a dollar	by our teacher.

DIRECT OBJECT AS SUBJECT
If the direct object is selected, a prepositional phrase is formed for the passive clause (not the active clause) with the addition of either to or for. (These sound awkward!)
DIRECT OBJ	PASSIVE V.	PREP PHR.	(AGENT)
A question	was asked	us / to us / of us¹	by our teacher.
Some time	was saved	*me/ for me²	by my friend.
One doughnut	was allowed	*us / for us	by our teacher.
A dollar	was charged	*us / to us	by our teacher.

¹ speakers occasionally use just the indirect pronoun with ask.
² He saved me time. (He did some of my work so that my work is less.) He saved some time for me. (He set aside time to spend with me or to help me.)

Verb "recipient" expressed as indirect object (IO) only

allow	ask	bet	charge
envy	excuse	fine	forgive
order	permit	refuse	save ²
strike	tax	tip	wish

See Indirect Object / TO Indirect Object / FOR

Shifting Focus to the Indirect Object

"Recipient" as Prepositional Phrase Only

Our teacher announced (us) the project to us.

INDIRECT OBJECT AS SUBJECT
For verbs whose recipient is expressed as a prep. phrase (and where an indirect obj. form is not an option), speakers prefer the direct object as the subject of a passive clause
DIRECT OBJ	PASSIVE VERB	PREP PHR.	(AGENT)
The project	was announced	to us	by our teacher.
The method	was described	to us	by our teacher.
The answer	was explained	to us	by our teacher.
The ideas	were suggested	to us	by our teacher.

INDIRECT OBJECT AS SUBJECT
If the indirect object is selected as the subject, the clause sounds awkward. Either select the direct object as the subject or use it. It was announced to us that…
INDIR. OBJ	PASSIVE VERB	DIRECT OBJ	(AGENT)
*We	were announced	the project	by our teacher.
*We	were described	the method	by our teacher.
*We	was explained	the answer	by our teacher.
*We	were suggested	the ideas	by our teacher.

It was described to us that the method would be…
It was explained to us that the anwser was…
It was suggested to us that the idea s would be…

Verb "recipient" expressed as preposition phrase (PP) only

announce	confess	contributed	convey
declare	describe	deliver	donate
explain	introduce	mention	narrate
refer	prove	return	report
say	speak	submit	suggest
transfer

See Indirect Object / TO Indirect Object / FOR

Passive Clauses

Reasons for Using Passive

ACTIVE VOICE
The active voice is preferred in most cases. It is considered to be more dynamic and straight forward (less complicated).
FOCUSING ON IMPORTANCE
The President is awarding three men with the medal of honor. Importance is placed on the "doer".
KEEPING THE SUBJECT THE SAME
Yesterday, Mr. Reynolds received the medal of honor. Enemy troops wounded Mr. Reynolds while he was protecting his mates. He managed to call for help. Medics rescued him and flew him to safety. The subject flip-flops.
PLACING HEAVIER INFO AT THE END
Mr. Reynolds who was wounded while protecting his mates from incoming artillery fire showed us his scars.

PASSIVE VOICE
The passive voice is used for shifting focus and rewording clauses so that they fit better into the surrounding context.
FOCUS
Mr. Reynolds is being awarded the medal of honor today. No particular importance is placed on the "doer".
KEEP THE SUBJECT THE SAME
Yesterday, Mr. Reynolds received the medal of honor. Mr. Reynolds was wounded in World War II while he was protecting his mates. He managed to call for help… He was rescued and flown to safety. The subject stays the same in the series of events.
PLACING HEAVIER INFO AT THE END
We were shown a picture of Mr. Reynolds who was wounded while protecting his mates from incoming artillery fire.

scars (n.) – a mark left of the skin after being hurt

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

ERROR	SOLUTION
The law was explained me by the officer.	The law was explained to me by the officer.
To me was asked several questions.	I was asked several questions.
The answer was said me by my friend.	The answer was said to me by my friend.
The children were explained the problem. (not used) We were suggested a solution.	The problem was explained to the children. A solution was suggested to us.

Also see Said Synonyms (told me/ said to me)

Grammar Notes

Traditional and Linguistic Description

Advanced

TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR	LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION
In the passive, the object of an active verb becomes the subject of a passive verb. Only transitive verbs (verbs that can be followed by an object) are used in the passive. (UUEG 11-1) Usually the passive is used without a by-phrase. The passive is most frequently used when it is not known or not important to know exactly who performs an action. (UUEG 11-3) Passives are used to talk about an action, but are not so interested in saying who or what does/did it. This is particularly common in academic and scientific writing. The Parthenon was built around 447 B.C. to put the news at the end It was painted by my grandmother. to keep the same subject She was driving, then she was hit, so she walked home. to put heavier expressions at the end with specific verbs I was born, English is spoken here (PEU 414.1-5)	Ditransitives and their related passives. First passive – the subject corresponds to the first object. Oi Second passive – the subject corresponds to the second object Od a letter = Od (direct object) / Sue = Oi (indirect object) — Jack sent Sue a letter. / Jack ordered Sue a burger. — Sue was sent a letter. / ? Sue was ordered a burger. [first passive] — A letter was sent Sue. / A burger was ordered Sue. [second passive] CaGEL 4 §4.3
VERBS WITH TWO OBJECTS	DITRANSITIVE VERBS
Passives (4) verbs with two objects — Many verbs can be followed by two objects, an indirect and a direct object (give, send, show, etc.) The choice between the two passives depends "on what has been said before, or on what needs to be put last in the sentence ."(PEU 415)	The verb licenses a ditransitive or monotransitive verb. I gave her the key. (ditransitive – IO + DO) I gave the key to her. (monotransitive – DO + to phrase) CaGEL 4 §8.2 (list of verbs 309)
INDIRECT OBJECTS	DITRANSITIVE / MONOTRANSITIVE VERBS
Two patterns are possible for the indirect object: He is going to give a book to Mary. [pattern A] He is going to give Mary a book. [pattern B] (ESS 8.A1)	"Ditransitive Clauses" Most ditransive clauses have alternates with a single object and a PP complement with to or for as head: Jack sent Sue a letter.(IO) → Jack sent a letter to Sue.(PP) Jack ordered Sue a burger → Jack ordered a burger for Sue. This departs from traditional analysis where the PPs to Sue and for Sue are taken to be indirect objects. CaGEL 4 §4.3

Resource

Robert Lado, Charles Carpenter Fries. English Sentence Structures (ESS), University of Michigan Press, 1958. Print
Huddleston, Rodney and Geoffrey K. Pullum, et al. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CaGEL) . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print.
Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage (PEU). 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.

Practice 1

An Email Slip-up

Read the Context

Last week, something unfortunate (happen). A friend sent an email to me. It was really funny. I forwarded the email to a friend without looking at the rest of the email.

The friend passed the email along to his friends. Next, his friends posted the message on a social network. After that, people shared the message with people on other social networks.

Unexpectedly, I received a message from my friend. He had sent me the email originally.

He showed me the part at the bottom of the email that had confidential information about his search for a new job.

He was upset. Several co-worker asked him questions about why he was looking for a new job.

I went back into my email and read the message. I was embarrassed that I hadn't read it. Also, I had embarrassed him at work.

confidential (n.) – private; not intended for other people to read

embarrass (v.) – do something that is socially unacceptable

job search (n.) – the process of looking for new employment

originally (adv.) – in the beginning

slip-up (expression) – mistake; error

Reword the sentence, if necessary, so that paragraph reads more smoothly.

Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 1-10" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.

Last week, something unfortunate .

Feedback 1

was sent that was really funny.

Feedback 2

to a friend without looking at the rest of the email.

Feedback 3

Then, was passed .

Feedback 4

Next, on a social network.

Feedback 5

After that, with people on other networks.

Feedback 6

Unexpectedly, from the friend who had originally sent me the email.

Feedback 7

at the bottom of the email that had confidential information about his job search.

Feedback 8

He was upset because about why he was looking for a new job.

Feedback 9

10.

because I had not checked the content of the email completely.

Feedback 10

Practice 3

An Unexpected Offer

Read

Yesterday, a headhunter offered me a new job. The headhunter emailed me a message about an opening at startup company. I already had a job that I liked very much. But the offer intrigued me

The headhunter described the job skills to me. The headhunter told me details about the position. The headhunter promised me a much better salary. I told her that I already had a job. The headhunter suggested keeping an open mind to me.

The headhunter asked me a few questions about my availability. The headhunter gave me an invitation to visit the company offices. The headhunter introduced me to the group that I would work with.

I thought about the pros and the cons. I owe money for my house. I have four "mouths" to feed (my family). The higher salary would be useful. The work would be interesting.

Tooday, I accepted and they are hiring me.

availability (n.) – being available, having an opening in one's calandar to do something or schedule an appointment

headhunter (n.) a person (male or female) who searches for skilled, new employees for a corporation; a personnel recruiter

intrigue (v.) – interest very much; cause to be curious, fascinated by somethng new and unusual

pros and cons (expression) – the good points and the bad points

recruit (v.) – to actively search for new people to join a group, corporation, or military

Change sentences so that the focus is on the employee not the personnel recruiter.

Note that when a person is contacted regarding a new job opportunity, it is customary to keep the communications private. The name of the company and the recruiter is not mentioned. The employee usually says very little while considering the new position so that he or she does not compromise his or her existing job.

Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check 21-30" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.

21.

Yesterday, a headhunter offered me a new job.

Edit 21

Feedback 21

22.

The headhunter emailed me a message about an opening at a startup company. The offer intrigued me.

Edit 22

Feedback 22

23.

The headhunter described the job skills to me.

Edit 23

Feedback 23

24.

The headhunter told me some details about the position.

Edit 24

Feedback 24

25.

The headhunter promised me a much better salary.

Edit 25

Feedback 25

26.

The headhunter suggested keeping an open mind to me.

Edit 26

Feedback 26

27.

The headhunter asked me a few questions about my availability.

Edit 27

Feedback 27

28.

The headhunter gave me an invitation to visit the company offices.

Edit 28

Feedback 28

29.

The headhunter introduced me to the group that I would work with.

Edit 29

Feedback 29

30.

Today, I accepted and they are hiring me.

Edit 30

Feedback 30

Grammar-Quizzes.com

PRACTICE ON POINTS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

Passive Verbs with Two Objects

Focusing on the direct or indirect object

Direct Object or Indirect Object as Subject

Shifting Focus to the Indirect Object

"Recipient" Expressed in Two Possible Forms

Our teacher gave us a project (to us).

Verb "recipient" expressed as indirect object or prepositional phrase

Shifting Focus to the Indirect Object

"Recipient" as Indirect Object Only

Our teacher asked us a question (to us).

Verb "recipient" expressed as indirect object (IO) only

Shifting Focus to the Indirect Object

"Recipient" as Prepositional Phrase Only

Our teacher announced (us) the project to us.

Verb "recipient" expressed as preposition phrase (PP) only

Passive Clauses

Reasons for Using Passive

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

Grammar Notes

Traditional and Linguistic Description

Resource

Practice 1

An Email Slip-up

Read the Context

Reword the sentence, if necessary, so that paragraph reads more smoothly.

Practice 2

Letter Arrives After 60 Years

Read Story

Correct or Incorrect?

Practice 3

An Unexpected Offer

Read

Change sentences so that the focus is on the employee not the personnel recruiter.