What is an Object?
An object is a noun (or pronoun) that receives the action of the verb.
She kicked the ball. (the ball received the kick — direct object)
Direct Object
The direct object answers the question "What?" or "Whom?" after the verb.
He ate the sandwich. → What did he eat? The sandwich. She called me. → Whom did she call? Me.
Indirect Object
The indirect object answers "To whom?" or "For whom?" the action is done. It usually comes before the direct object.
She gave Tom a gift. → She gave a gift to Tom. (Tom = indirect object) He told us a story. → he told a story to us)
| Indirect Object | Direct Object |
|---|---|
| She gave Tom | a gift |
| He sent me | a letter |
| They bought her | some flowers |
Rewriting with Prepositions
You can move the indirect object to after the direct object, but you must add a preposition (to or for):
She gave Tom a gift. → She gave a gift to Tom. He bought her flowers. → He bought flowers for her.
Use to for verbs of giving/telling: give, send, show, tell, offer, lend Use for for verbs of doing something for someone: buy, make, cook, find, get
Identifying Objects in Sentences
The teacher gave the students their homework.
- Direct object: their homework (what was given?)
- Indirect object: the students (to whom was it given?)
Real world: sending messages and gifts
Mum sent [indirect: me] [direct: a birthday card]. → Mum sent a birthday card to me. Can you pass [indirect: her] [direct: the salt], please? The company offered [indirect: the applicant] [direct: the job].
Real world: school and everyday requests
The teacher showed [indirect: the class] [direct: a short film]. I'll make [indirect: you] [direct: a cup of tea]. → I'll make a cup of tea for you. She told [indirect: us] [direct: a funny story] about her trip.
Practice Problems
Identify the direct object: 'She reads her sister a bedtime story.'
Show answer
Rewrite using a preposition: 'He lent me his pen.'
Show answer
Which preposition — to or for? 'She made her mum (to/for) a cake.'