Using transitive and intransitive verbs
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Teaching implications | page 5 of 7 |
Behaviour of indirect objects after certain verbs
Many transitive verbs in English can take two objects; a direct object and an indirect object. It is possible to vary the way these objects are presented in two ways. One way is with the indirect object placed immediately after the verb:
She wrote me a letter …
The other way is with the indirect object moved to the end of the clause, following a preposition:
She wrote a letter to me …
However, for students it is not always obvious whether the indirect object of a particular verb can follow the verb, or whether it needs to be introduced by a preposition, so you can say:
She wrote me a letter mentioning that Charlie had put together a rock band in LA. (Bank of English)
but not:
She composed me a letter…
Understandably, learners may be confused due to the similarity in meaning between words such as write and compose. Therefore, it may be worth pointing out to students that verbs which can be followed by an indirect object are usually short, one-syllable words, eg give, make, pass, get, write, while those that need a preposition are usually longer words, of French or Latin origin, eg donate, manufacture, circulate, obtain, compose.
For further information about transitive verbs which take two objects, see 
Using transitive and intransitive verbs: Transitive verbs with two
objects.
Introduction
Behaviour of indirect objects after certain verbs
