1. Direct and Indirect Objects in Sentences

2. Subjects
You know already that a subject is what or who a sentence is about. A subject is either a noun or a pronoun.
An object is also a noun or a pronoun, but it is not what the sentence is about!

3. Objects
Objects depend on what a verb is “doing” in a sentence. Objects follow verbs.
One kind of object is called a direct object.
A sentence doesn’t need a direct object to be a sentence.

4. How to Find a Direct Object
The direct object is not the subject of the sentence, it’s the noun receiving the action.
The direct object isn’t doing anything, it’s having something done to it.

5. How to Find a Direct Object
Emily threw the stick.
Explanation: Emily is the subject; she’s the one doing the throwing.
Stick is the object; the stick isn’t doing anything, but something is being done to the stick—it is being thrown.

6. Frank and Ed feared loneliness. What is the subject? Frank, Ed
Find the Direct Object
Frank and Ed feared loneliness.
What is the subject? Frank, Ed
What is the verb? Feared
To find the object, ask: what or who did Frank or Ed fear?
Answer: loneliness. Loneliness is the
direct object.

7. 50 Cent threw kisses to Lindsay.
Find the Direct Object
50 Cent threw kisses to Lindsay.
In this sentence ask yourself, “50 Cent threw what?”
Answer: kisses. “Kisses” is the direct object of the verb “threw.”

8. Find the Direct Objects—there are TWO following two verbs.
The burglar gagged the gangster and stole his car.
In this sentence ask yourself,
“Who did the burglar gag?”
Answer: the gangster.
Also, ask yourself, “What did the burglar steal?”
Answer: his car.

9. Find the Direct Object
Angie found the matches and started a bonfire on the field.
Ask yourself: What did Angie find?
Answer: matches. So, matches is the direct object because it is receiving the action of “found,” a verb.
Ask yourself: What did Angie start?
Answer: bonfire. So, bonfire is also a direct object because it is receiving the action of “started,” a verb.

10. Another Kind of Object: Indirect Object
The indirect object is not directly receiving the action of the verb.
An indirect object cannot exist without a direct object!

11. The Indirect Object
You need a direct object to have an indirect object. An indirect object is really an “understood” prepositional phrase.
Alex threw David the flowers.
Flowers is the direct object, and David is the indirect object.

12. Explaining the Indirect Object
Ask yourself:
“What did the subject throw?”
Answer: flowers –the direct object
Ask yourself,
“To whom did the subject throw the flowers?”
Answer: to David—the indirect object
Explanation: The answer is “to David,” because this is an understood prepositional phrase; the word “to” is not in the sentence.

13. The Indirect Object
Remember, an indirect object is really an understood prepositional phrase. It names the person (or thing) to whom (or to what) or for whom (or for what) something is done.
However: When the word naming the indirect receiver of the action is contained in a prepositional phrase, it is no longer considered an indirect object.

14. Find the Direct and Indirect Object
Jason gave her a diamond.
Ask yourself: Jason gave what?
Answer: a diamond. Therefore, diamond is receiving the action of being given and is the direct object.
Ask yourself, “To whom or what was the diamond given?”
Answer: to her. Her is the indirect object.

15. Find the Indirect Object
Jason put on an expensive coat for her.
Ask yourself, “Put what?”
Answer: There is no direct or indirect object here because of the way the sentence is written. The word “on” is not a direct object or an indirect object because it isn’t a noun or pronoun.
Sorry, but it gets tricky some times.