Direct and Indirect Object

Direct and Indirect Object

Every sentence has a primary structure, in order to communicate something: subject, verb, and object.

The object of a sentence (if there is one) normally comes after the verb phrase.

There are two types of objects:

• Direct object: This indicates the sentence's object: the person or thing involved in the action and a response to  what or who questions. 

• Indirect object: The other type of object is the recipient of the direct object. It answers the questions to whom, for whom, or for what.

An object that follows a verb like this is called the direct object:

• Rory found a pen.

• Our cat doesn’t like milk.

The direct object is the receiver of the action mentioned in the sentence.

• John hit the ball. (Direct object: the ball)

Some verbs also have another sort of object, called an indirect object.

An indirect object names the person for or to whom something is done. It is usually needed with verbs like give, find and owe.

Examples

• Mike owes Tom five pounds.

• Rob gave me a box of chocolates.

The indirect object identifies the person/thing for whom/what the action of the verb is performed.

The indirect object is usually a person or thing.

Examples

• My mother bought me a necklace. (Indirect object – me; direct object – necklace)

• John told Peter a story. (Indirect object – Peter; direct object – story)