Question

Which word in the following sentence is the direct object? Scott and Maria played soccer with an old ball they found behind the shed. A. Scott B. Soccer C. Ball D. Shed

Answer 1

A direct object is usually after the verb. In this case the verb is played, so the direct object would be B. Soccer

Answer 2

The answer is B: soccer.  The word soccer in the sentence is a verbal complement, it completes the action that Scott and Maria perform. They play what? They play soccer. It's a direct object because the verb play, in this sentence, is linked directly to its object, without the need of a preposition. This is an example of a transitive verb.