retained object

American

noun

Grammar.

an object in a passive construction identical with the direct or indirect object in the active construction from which it is derived, as the picture in I was shown the picture, which is also the direct object in the active construction (They ) showed me the picture.

retained object British

noun

grammar a direct or indirect object of a passive verb. The phrase the drawings in the sentence Harry was given the drawings is a retained object

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of retained object

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Some call it an adverbial modifier, some call it a "retained object," and some say that it is a noun without grammatical construction.

From Higher Lessons in English A work on English grammar and composition by Kellogg, Brainerd

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023