What is the object in a sentence?

• A. The subject performing the action.
• B. The person or thing affected by the action.
• C. A modifier of the verb.
• D. A phrase indicating location.

Answer: (B)

The object in a sentence is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb. In sentences with a transitive verb, the direct object answers questions like “What?” or “Whom?” after the verb, showing what is affected by the action. For example, in “The officer read the report,” the action of reading is done to the report, so the report is the object. The subject is the one performing the action, not the object. A modifier of the verb (an adverb) and a location phrase (a prepositional phrase) describe how or where the action happens, not the entity that is affected. Some verbs don’t take an object at all, but when there is one, it’s the recipient of the action.