To persuade someone to do something - more help with objects please

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luckycharmer

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Hello one and all! I have been posting a lot of questions about objects recently and here is another one!

In the sentence


She persuaded her brother to do the dishes


how many of you would class "to do the dishes" as an object of the verb persuade? (her brother is clearly the direct object - can "to do the dishes" be classed as the indirect object? Is it an argument of the verb persuade? And if not what would you say it is?

I personally would say it is an object and an argument but so many definitions say an object must be a noun or a noun equivalent and I don't think it could be said to be either. All opinions welcome!
 

Tdol

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I'm not convinced that it's an indirect object.
 

philo2009

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Only if you are prepared to arbitrarily redefine 'indirect object' in a totally radical way!

From a grammarian's viewpoint, 'to do the dishes' is simply a dependent infinitive phrase.
 
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