Definition

1. Noun:
   • A verb that requires both a direct object and an indirect object to complete its meaning: A "doubly transitive verb" is a grammatical term for a verb that must be followed by two objects—one that directly receives the action (the direct object) and one that is indirectly affected by the action (the indirect object). The indirect object often indicates to whom or for whom the action is done.

Usage

• Doubly transitive verbs are central to constructing sentences where an action is transferred from a subject to a direct object, with a recipient (the indirect object) also specified.
• The indirect object typically comes before the direct object in a sentence (e.g., "She gave me a book."). It can often be rephrased using a prepositional phrase with "to" or "for" placed after the direct object (e.g., "She gave a book to me.").
• This term is primarily used in formal grammar analysis, linguistics, and language education.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• Ditransitive Verb: This is a more common and equivalent term for "doubly transitive verb" in modern linguistics. They are used interchangeably.
  • Linguists often prefer the term "ditransitive verb" over "doubly transitive verb."
• Distinguishing Objects: A key test is whether the indirect object can be moved to a prepositional phrase.
  • "She made him coffee." → "She made coffee for him." (The verb "made" is doubly transitive/ditransitive.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ditransitive Verb (n): A synonym for "doubly transitive verb."
  • "Give," "send," and "offer" are classic examples of ditransitive verbs.
• Transitive Verb (n): A verb that requires only a direct object.
  • "Build" is a transitive verb, as in "He built a house."
• Intransitive Verb (n): A verb that does not take a direct object.
  • "Sleep" is an intransitive verb, as in "The baby sleeps."

Synonyms

• Ditransitive verb: The direct synonym used in contemporary grammatical description.

Related Grammatical Concepts

• Indirect Object (n): The noun or pronoun that receives the direct object or for whom/to whom the action is performed.
  • In "I handed the teacher my homework," "the teacher" is the indirect object.
• Direct Object (n): The noun or pronoun that directly receives the action of the verb.
  • In the same sentence, "my homework" is the direct object.

Noun

1. a transitive verb that takes both a direct and an indirect object