Most American-born people will have heard of direct and indirect objects at some point in their schooling years. And yet, some English speakers\u2014even those who grew up in the U.S.\u2014may have a hazy understanding of the difference between a direct and indirect object.<\/p>\n
Today, we will review the distinction. We’ll explain what an indirect object is and give you some examples to help you understand its grammatical function.<\/p>\n
Let’s begin with a quick refresher. The direct object in a sentence is something that is being acted on by something else. Consider the following example:<\/p>\n
Jim threw the ball.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The verb (or action word) in this example is threw<\/em>. The thing that was acted upon was the ball, making ball<\/em> the direct object.<\/p>\n
If we added more to the sentence, however, we would have another object that receives the direct object. This receiver becomes the indirect object<\/em>.<\/p>\n
That can sound complicated, but it’s easy to understand when we expand our original sentence:<\/p>\n
Jim threw his dog the ball.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In this sentence, Jim is still throwing the ball (he’s not throwing his dog, thank goodness). This means ball<\/em> is still the direct object, and the receiver of the ball is Jim’s dog. Dog<\/em> is therefore the indirect object in the sentence.<\/p>\n
An Easy Way to Spot Indirect Objects<\/h2>\n
The easiest way to find the indirect object in a sentence is to work backward. That is, find the verb, then the direct object, and (lastly) the indirect object.<\/p>\n
Let’s look at another example sentence:<\/p>\n
Jane sent the bank her payment.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Working backward, we can see the verb is sent<\/em>. That’s the action being performed in this sentence.<\/p>\n
With sent<\/em> established as the verb, we can deduce that payment<\/em> is the object being acted upon. That is the object that was sent.<\/p>\n
And finally, because the payment was sent to the bank, bank<\/em> is the indirect object.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n
Ready to test your knowledge? Find the indirect object in each sentence below.<\/p>\n
1. I texted my roommate the shopping list.<\/p>\n
2. Jimmy bought the team pizzas after the game.<\/p>\n
3. Sandra’s cat brought me a bottle cap.<\/p>\n
4. I gave my cousin directions to the cabin.<\/p>\n
5. Joseph baked Veronica a cake.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pop Quiz Answers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1. I texted my roommate<\/strong> the shopping list.<\/p>\n
2. Jimmy bought the team<\/strong> pizzas after the game.<\/p>\n
3. Sandra’s cat brought me<\/strong> a bottle cap.<\/p>\n
4. I gave my cousin<\/strong> directions to the cabin.<\/p>\n
5. Joseph baked Veronica<\/strong> a cake.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Want to Further Brush Up Your Grammar?<\/h3>\n
We post new grammar articles and tips every week. If you would like to sharpen your grammar skills in American English\u2014or become a more-articulate student, professional, or daily communicator\u2014visit us again soon. Also remember that you can always leave us a question or a comment below. We would enjoy hearing from you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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