Basic Clause PatternsWhile the meanings and semantic roles represented by this pattern are not
identical to those represented by pattern 5, they are similar enough so that
many traditional and school grammars refer to the NP expressing the Re-
cipient or Benefactive roles as an indirect object. From a formal point of
view, this NP is the object of the preposition that governs it, so in keeping
with our formalist preferences, we will restrict the term indirect object to
the NP that occurs directly after the verb and before the direct object in
sentences of pattern 5.
As we noted in our discussion of pattern 5, the two patterns cannot be
viewed simply as variants of each other. That is, we cannot always rephrase a
sentence in one pattern as a sentence in the other pattern. Such substitutions
may either change the meaning or result in ungrammaticality. In particular,
if the direct object of a pattern 6 sentence is a pronoun, as in (132a), then
rephrasing the sentence as a pattern 5 sentence results in an ungrammatical
sentence like (132b):
(132)a. We made it for Oscar.
b. *We made Oscar it.
Sentences such as (133a) are ambiguous. They can describe a telephone
call or a gift of a ring. However, their pattern 6 counterparts, (133b), can
only describe a gift-giving:
(133)a. Oscar gave Amanda a ring.
b. Oscar gave a ring to Amanda.
Exercise
(a) Identify the (whole) Recipient/Benefactive phrase in each of the
following clauses. (b) Using one appropriate criterion, prove that the
phrase you identified as a Recipient/Benefactive phrase really is a Re-
cipient/Benefactive phrase. (c) Draw both Reed/Kellogg and structural
diagrams for each clause.
a. She gave a bone to the dog.
b. We made balloon animals for the children.
c. Oscar wrote the plays for his adoring public.
d. Wanda sang a lullaby for the babies.