Online Lesson - Direct and Indirect Objects

How to Identify Direct and Indirect Objects

Once a child knows how to identify a complete sentence, they should know how to identify parts of a sentence. Understanding the different parts of grammar helps them write more affluent, more complex sentences. Though not always necessary to use, direct and indirect objects add detail to a sentence. With direct objects, they tell us who/what receives the action of the verb; they are who/what is acted upon. They are always nouns or pronouns. Indirect objects tell us FOR WHO/WHOM/WHAT the action is performed.

To identify what is a direct object vs. what is an indirect object, it’s important to understand the following:

Direct object: who/what RECEIVES the action of the verb

Example: Juan bought oranges.

Here, we ask ourselves, WHAT did Juan buy? He bought ORANGES, so the word oranges is the direct object.

Example: Sheila invited Mary to go swimming

Here, we ask ourselves, WHO did Sheila invite? Sheila invited MARY, so Mary is the direct object.

Indirect object: FOR WHO/WHOM/WHAT receives the direct object
You cannot have an indirect object without having a direct object. An indirect object NEEDS a direct object. Also, an indirect object will come BEFORE the direct object.

Example: Emily sent Georgia a gift.

Here, we ask ourselves, WHAT did Emily send? Emily sent A GIFT, so a gift is the direct object. Now, we ask ourselves TO WHOM did Emily send that gift? Emily sent the gift to GEORGIA, so Georgia is the indirect object.

Example: I bought my daughter an iPhone.

Here, we ask ourselves WHAT I bought? I bought her AN iPHONE, so an iPhone is the direct object. Now, we ask ourselves FOR WHOM did I buy the iPhone? I bought the iPhone for MY DAUGHTER, so my daughter is the indirect object

TIPS TO FINDING THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECTS

TIPS TO FINDING THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECTS (For you to print out)

RACTICE

Directions: Underline the direct object and circle the indirect object (if there is an indirect object) in each sentence.

Ryan sent Joey an email.
Darlene gave Maria twenty-five dollars.
The cat ate the food.
My aunt cooked Ella and Jackson some food.
Bill built a fort.
Jason bought Garrett an iPad Pro.
I read Bryce a book about giraffes.
Julia gave Brigid a bicycle for Christmas.
Vanessa showed Jane her pictures from the vacation.
Mason lent Bob his car.
Luke gulped the water after his run.
They took Zeke a slushie.
Joanna wrote an article on the latest tech trends.
We took a raft.
My teacher gave us homework for tonight.
Jessiah gave his mom a headache.
The new movie gave me the chills.
Our waiter gave us extra fries.
She asked Megan.
Mikey shook the president’s hand.

Direct and Indirect Objects

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