Ditransitives

Ditransitives are verbs that take two internal arguments, typically a recipient and a theme. They differ from monotransitive verbs, which take a single object.

In English, ditransitive verbs often appear in two constructions. The double object construction (DOC) places both objects as noun phrases after the verb, as in "John gave Mary a book." Here Mary is the recipient (indirect object) and a book is the theme (direct object). The alternative is the prepositional dative: "John gave a book to Mary," with a prepositional phrase (to Mary) expressing the recipient. The two constructions can convey different emphasis or nuance.

Some verbs are inherently ditransitive (for example, give, grant, tell) and subcategorize for two objects. Others are monotransitive but can take a prepositional phrase to express a recipient or beneficiary. The distinction matters for syntax, argument structure, and information structure in discourse.

In many languages, ditransitives are marked by different case or by a dative preposition. In English, the choice between the DOC and the prepositional dative is known as the dative alternation or double object construction. The preferred form can depend on factors such as animacy, pronoun form, or formality, and some verbs participate more naturally in one pattern than the other.

Cross-linguistic variation is common: some languages require the recipient to be marked with a dative case, others use clitic pronouns or prepositions, and some languages permit only one of the two constructions.