When the verb is transitive, that is, when the action cannot happen
without affecting something, the thing affected is called the _object_.

Thus in "Cain killed Abel" the action of the killing affected Abel. In
"The cat has caught a mouse," mouse is the object of the catching.


ARRANGEMENT OF WORDS IN A SENTENCE

Of course in simple sentences the natural order of arrangement is
subject--verb--object. In many cases no other form is possible. Thus in
the sentence "The cat has caught a mouse," we cannot reverse it and say
"The mouse has caught a cat" without destroying the meaning, and in any
other form of arrangement, such as "A mouse, the cat has caught," we feel
that while it is intelligible, it is a poor way of expressing the fact
and one which jars upon us more or less.

In longer sentences, however, when there are more words than what are
barely necessary for subject, verb and object, we have greater freedom of
arrangement and can so place the words as to give the best effect. The
proper placing of words depends upon perspicuity and precision. These two
combined give _style_ to the structure.

Most people are familiar with Gray's line in the immortal _Elegy_--"The
ploughman homeward plods his weary way." This line can be paraphrased to
read 18 different ways. Here are a few variations:

Homeward the ploughman plods his weary way.
The ploughman plods his weary way homeward.