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retained object

noun

, Grammar.
  1. 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

noun

  1. 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


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Word History and Origins

Origin of retained object1

First recorded in 1930–35
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Example Sentences

The direct object after a passive verb is often called the retained object.

A noun clause may be used as the retained object of a passive verb ( 253).

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retained earningsretained object complement