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Direct object
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This section gives some information about the Noun Phrase (NP) as a direct object. The direct object is the argument that is modified by the verb's perfect participle in a construction of apposition and it remains present in infinitival clauses (unlike subjects).

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The following sentence illustrates the use of the NP Peke Donia as a direct object:

1
Hja hiene Peke Donia fergetten
they had Peke Donia forgotten
They had forgotten Peke Donia

The direct object is the argument that is modified by the verb's perfect participle in a construction of apposition:

2
Peke Donia, fergetten, …
Peke Donia forgotten
Peke Donia, forgotten, ..

The direct object remains present in infinitival clauses (unlike subjects):

3
Der waard besocht om Peke Donia te ferjitten
there was attempted for Peke Donia to forget
It was attempted to forget Peke Donia

So-called unaccusative verbs have the special property that their subject also passes the test for direct object:

4
a. Dy lju binne my earder al opfallen
those persons.PL are.PL me earlier DcP struck
I noticed those persons before
b. Dy lju, my earder al opfallen, ..
those persons me earlier DcP noticed
Those persons, which I had noticed before, ..

In this respect, unaccusative verbs are similar to the subject of adjectives in copular clauses:

5
a. Dy lju binne tige nijsgjirrich
those persons are very interesting
Those persons are very interesting
b. Dy lju, tige nijsgjirrich, ..
those persons very interesting
Those persons, very interesting, ..

Nevertheless, these subjects with object properties cannot be present in infinitives, and this differentiates them from 'true' direct objects:

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a. Der waard besocht om op te fallen
there was attempted for PTC to strike
It was attempted to be noticed
b. *Der waard besocht om dy lju op te fallen
there was attempted for those persons PTC to strike
It was attempted for those persons to be noticed
c. Der waard besocht om nijsgjirrich te wêzen
there was attempted for interesting to be
It was attempted to be interesting
d. *Der waard besocht om dy lju nijsgjirrich te wêzen
there was attempted for those persons interesting to be
It was attempted for those persons to be interesting
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