1. Direct Objects

2. How to find direct objects
Look at this sentence:
He threw the ball at the window.
First, find your simple subject and simple predicate (the verb)

3. He threw the ball at the window.
Simple subject =
Simple predicate =

4. He threw the ball at the window.
Simple subject = He
Simple predicate = threw

5. He threw the ball at the window.
Simple subject = He
Simple predicate = threw
Next, use those to ask “what” or “whom.”

6. He threw the ball at the window.
D.O. = [subject] + [verb] “what?” or
D.O. = [subject] + [verb] “whom?”
[subject] HE + [verb] THREW “WHAT?”

7. [subject] HE + [verb] THREW “WHAT?”
Answer? ball

8. He threw the ball at the window.
Subject = HE
Verb = THREW
Direct object = BALL

9. If a sentence contains a direct object, then we may check to see if there is an indirect object; if the sentence contains no direct object, there can be no indirect object.

10. Indirect Objects

11. She bought us a ticket.
Subject =
Verb =
Direct object =

12. She bought us a ticket. Subject = She Verb = bought
Direct object = ticket
To find indirect objects, first find your direct object. Then ask:
“To whom?”
“For whom?”
“To what?”
“For what?”

13. She bought us a ticket. “For whom” was the ticket bought?
Subject = She
Verb = bought
Direct object = ticket
“For whom” was the ticket bought?

14. “Us” is the indirect object.
She bought us a ticket.
Subject = She
Verb = bought
Direct object = ticket
“For whom” was the ticket bought?
Answer: us
“Us” is the indirect object.

15. The children were playing outside.
Many sentences will have no direct object:
The children were playing outside.
subject verb
Many sentences will have a direct object but no indirect object.
No sentence will have an indirect object but no direct object.

16. Other cases:
The movie was entertaining.
Dinner tonight will be pizza.
The best student is class is he/him.
She bought us a ticket.
She bought a ticket for us.