A Direct Object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb in a sentence. It answers the questions "what?" or "whom?" after the verb. For example, in the sentence "She reads books," the word books is the direct object because it tells us what she reads. To identify a direct object, you can ask yourself what is being acted upon. In the sentence "The dog chased the ball," the direct object is the ball because it is what the dog chased. Direct objects are essential for completing the meaning of a verb.