Which term is defined as the part of a sentence that receives the action of the verb?

• A. Direct object
• B. Indirect object
• C. Object complement
• D. Prepositional phrase

Answer: (A)

The part of a sentence that receives the action of a transitive verb is the direct object. It’s the noun or pronoun that answers “What receives the action?” or “Whom does the verb act on?” For example, in “The writer crafts a story,” the story receives the action of crafting, so it’s the direct object.

Understanding the others helps confirm why this is correct. The indirect object is who benefits or is affected by the action, usually answering “to/for whom?” as in “She gave her friend a gift”—here, the indirect object is her friend, while the direct object is the gift. An object complement comes after the direct object and renames or describes it, as in “They elected him president,” where “president” describes him. A prepositional phrase includes a preposition and its object (like “in the park” or “to the store”) and does not receive the action of the verb.