LoginIndirect Objects
In this lesson, master indirect objects, which are essential parts of a sentence that receive the direct object. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
What Are Indirect Objects?
An indirect object is a pronoun, noun phrase, or noun clause that indicates to or for whom or what an action is performed. In other words, the indirect object indicates to or for whom or what the direct object is intended.
Indirect Objects vs. Direct Objects
'Direct objects' do not need indirect objects to express a complete meaning. As a result, if there is only one object in a sentence, it is a 'direct object'. If a sentence has two objects, the one that receives the action of the verb is the direct object and the one that receives the direct object is the indirect object.
I called him.
In this sentence, the pronoun 'him' is the only object of the sentence, so it is a 'direct object.'
I gave him the keys.
Here, 'the keys' receives the action of the verb and 'him' receives the keys so, the keys is the 'direct object' and the pronoun him is the 'indirect object.'
Indirect Objects: Form
Like direct objects, indirect objects can come in a variety of forms, including pronouns, noun phrase, and noun clauses.
Pronouns as Indirect Objects
Object pronouns are commonly used as indirect objects, but they are not the only types of objects that can act as indirect objects. Demonstrative pronouns, reflexive pronouns, indefinite pronouns, and reciprocal pronouns can also act as indirect objects.
They told her the news.
She bought herself a house.
Noun Phrases as Indirect Objects
A single noun, or a noun with all its modifiers can act as the indirect object of the verb. For example:
I offered my best friend a seat.
We told Tom the news.
Noun Clauses as Indirect Objects
Not all noun clauses can act as indirect objects. Nominal relative clauses and sometimes present participle clauses are the only two types of noun clause that can be used as indirect object. Look at the examples:
He promised whoever solved the puzzle a reward.
He gave working on the project his full attention.
Indirect Objects: Usage
Any verb that can take an object is a 'transitive' verb, but verbs that can take both a direct object and an indirect object are called 'ditransitive' verbs. Here are the most common ditransitive verbs in English:
give
send
bring
sell
write
tell
buy
make
ask
lend
You were supposed to bring us the menu.
He did not sell them the house.
Indirect Objects: Position in Sentence
Indirect objects appear after ditransitive verbs and before the direct objects. The structure of a sentence with an indirect object would be as follows:
Subject + ditransitive verb + indirect object + direct object + adverbial adjuncts
He wrote him a letter yesterday morning.
Sara did me a favor that I can never ever forget.
I volunteered to send the guests the emails.
Warning
Adverbial adjuncts cannot come between the indirect and direct objects.
I lent Tom this morning money.
Identifying the Indirect Object
According to what has been discussed so far, the general characteristics of indirect objects can be summarized as the following:
'Indirect objects' answer questions regarding to or for whom or what the direct object is intended.
They only exist when there are two objects in a sentence.
'Indirect objects' follow ditransitive verbs.
They typically come before the direct object.
Check out the examples:
I am sorry to give you such hard time.
Here the pronoun 'you' is used after the ditransitive verb 'give' and precedes the direct object 'time.'
I'll send Sebrina a box of chocolates for her birthday.
Indirect Object or Prepositional Phrase?
'Indirect objects' can be replaced by a prepositional phrase with 'to' or 'for' placed after the direct object. Although there is some debate regarding whether this construction is still the indirect object or just a prepositional phrase acting as adjunct, it is mostly considered the indirect object in language-learning contexts since the function remains the same, despite the change in form. Here are a few examples:
I have made a cup of coffee for you.
Instead of 'I have made you a cup of coffee'
Marco handed the books to Adam.
Review
Pronouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses that are used after ditransitive verbs and before direct objects are called indirect objects. They are only used when there is already a direct object in the sentence.
Quiz:
Match each sentence to the correct type of indirect object.
Rearrange the words to form a complete sentence.
Select all verbs that can take indirect objects. (Select five.)
eat
understand
give
grow
send
sell
say
tell
plan
ask
Which sentence uses an indirect object in the correct position?
I gave her a gift.
I gave a gift her.
I gave the gift her.
I gave gift her.
Identify the indirect object in each sentence.
The chef served the diners a delicious meal. →
The young athlete gave the training all his strength. →
The librarian lent the rare book to the history student for his research. →
He bought himself a new laptop for work. →
The CEO promised whoever exceeded expectations a bonus at the end of the year. →
Comments
(2)
Recommended
