Subject, verb, direct object, object complement versus "subject, verb, indirect object, direct object"?

Question

Reading _English Grammar_ (HarperCollins College Outline, published by HarperResource, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) I found a chapter (_Sentence Basics_) that explains that in English there are different sentence patterns; in particular - Subject, verb, direct object, object complement - Subject, verb, indirect object, direct objectThe chapter reports the following example for the patterns:> Alice called Charles Professor Miller. > Alice gave Charles the rabbit.What is the difference between the two kind of sentences? What is the difference between the object complement in the first case, and the indirect object in the second case?PS: The question, which could appear silly, comes from the fact in my first language there is only the object complement.

Answer 1

The purpose of the object complement is to rename or describe the direct object, while the indirect object refers to someone/something receiving the direct object.

In the first sentence, Alice called Charles Professor Miller, the object complement, Professor Miller, is renaming your direct object, Charles.

In the second sentence, Alice gave Charles the rabbit, your subject, Alice, is giving away or handing away the direct object, the rabbit. Who/what is receiving the direct object? Our indirect object, Charles.