Modifiers & Complements
Articles, Attributive Adjectives & Direct Objects
Articles and adjectives hang below the nouns they modify on slanted lines. Direct objects sit to the right of the verb on the baseline, separated by a short vertical line.
Articles
Articles (a, an, the) are diagrammed on a slanted line below the noun they modify. The top of the slanted line touches the horizontal line carrying the noun.
“The flowers are blooming.”
Attributive Adjectives
An attributive adjective is placed to the right of an article (if present) on its own slanted line below the noun it modifies.
“Wonderful things are happening.”
“A full moon shone.”
Direct Objects
A direct object receives the action of a transitive verb. It sits on the baseline to the right of the verb, separated by a short vertical line that touches the baseline from above — unlike the subject separator, which passes all the way through.
“Most people saw the comet.”
“They have a cat and a small dog.”
Key Concepts
- Direct object
- A noun or pronoun that directly receives the action of a transitive verb. It answers the question Verb + what? or Verb + whom?
- Transitive verb
- A verb that takes a direct object. Contrast with intransitive verbs (no direct object) and linking verbs (followed by a subjective complement, not an object).
- Attributive adjective
- An adjective that directly precedes and modifies a noun. Compare with predicate adjectives, which follow a linking verb.