objective n
a goal of a course of instruction. Two different types of objectives may be
distinguished.
General objectives, or aims, are the underlying reasons for or purposes of a
course of instruction. For example, the aims of the teaching of a foreign lan-
guage in a particular country might be: to teach students to read and write
a foreign language, to improve students’ knowledge of a foreign culture, to
teach conversation in a foreign language, etc. Aims are long-term goals,
described in very general terms.
Specific objectives (or simply objectives) are descriptions of what is to be
achieved in a course. They are more detailed descriptions of exactly what a
learner is expected to be able to do at the end of a period of instruction. This
might be a single lesson, a chapter of a book, a term’s work, etc. For instance,
specific objectives of a classroom lesson might be: Use of the linking words
and, but, however, although. These specific objectives contribute to the general
objective of paragraph writing. A description of specific objectives in terms
which can be observed and measured is known as a behavioural objective.
objective case n
also object case
the noun or noun phrase^1 that refers to whoever or whatever has the most
neutral relationship to the action of the verb is in the objective case.
The noun or noun phrase in the objective case neither performs the action,
nor is the instrument of the action.
For example, in the sentences:
They sliced the sausagewith a knife.
The sausagesliced easily.
The sausagewas thick.
the sausageis neither agent (like they) nor instrument (like a knife).
It is in the objective case.
The notion of the objective case is related to the traditional notion of
object^1. But not everything in the objective case would be an object, nor
would all objects be considered to be in the objective case.
see also case grammar
objective marking n
see objective scoring
objective test n
a test that can be scored objectively (i.e. scored without the use of the exam-
iner’s personal judgement), which may be contrasted with a subjective
objective