To include less would have been unconscionable since we believe that ESL/EFL teachers need to be familiar with all the topics in this book. A one-term course should then aim not only to deal with a portion of the chapters in the text; it should also lay a foundation that will enable students to continue to make use of the book after the course is completed. | Chapter 19 Sentences with Indirect Objects 31 9 To illustrate the only context where Pass the salt to me please. V NP1 I NP2 I orJ would be appropriate is one in which the speaker s request is directed to a listener who is 1 holding a salt shaker and 2 obviously not knowing to whom to pass it. The listener might then reply Oh I heard the request for the salt but I didn t know who said it. Most contexts define the important part of the sentence as being the speaker s desire for salt and therefore one more frequently hears Pass me the salt please. or since the speaker is generally the indirect object by implication simply Pass the salt please. If the person who complies with this request says anything at all he or she would be likely to comment upon the direct object the salt not upon the one who initiated the request that is Sure. Here it is. 6 Conditions on Indirect Object Alternation Erteschik-Shir s notion of dominance helps us understand why certain conditions such as the following are placed on indirect object alternation 1. For many though not all dialects of English the indirect object cannot be postverbal if the direct object is a pronoun especially it and the indirect object is a noun. We sent it to John. We sent John On the other hand when the indirect object is a pronoun and the direct object is a noun especially an indefinite one the alternate pattern is likely to be selected. We sent him a package. These observations can be explained by noting that pronouns arc as a rule less dominant than nouns. Since pronouns usually have an anaphoric referent or a referent in the immediate physical environment it is unlikely that a speaker would need to direct attention to them their meaning is already clear from the text or context. This is not to say that an indirect object that is a pronoun would never occupy the dominant position but when this does occur a different interpretation would be necessary for example a contrastive one. We sent a package to him. .
