Download Direct and Indirect Objects

Direct and Indirect Objects
– Some verbs can stand alone in a sentence,
and the sentence will still make sense.
• Jim runs.
• Sally ate.
• Bill cried.
– Yet, there are quite a few verbs that can’t
stand alone. Most of the time, these verbs
need another word or phrase to make the
sentence complete.
• Jim bought. [What?]
• Sally gave [What?]
• Bill threw. [What?]
– A noun or a pronoun that receives the action
of a verb is called the direct object.
– An action verb in combination with a direct
object will often make the sentence complete.
• Jim bought candles [candles is the direct object]
• Sally gave four dollars to the Salvation Army.
[dollars is the direct object]
• Bill threw the ball. [ball is the direct object].
• Bill threw it. [it is a direct object]
o Remember that that there is a clear difference
between a subject and direct object. A direct
object receives the action, whereas the
subject is performing the action [where an
action verb is involved].
o Indirect objects answer the question to what
or for whom the action is completed. An
indirect object always comes before the direct
object.
I lent Sally my tools.
 I lent Sally my tools.
 I cooked Bob a nice dinner