Download Direct and Indirect Objects

Direct and Indirect Objects
Action Verbs and Direct
and Indirect Objects
Action verbs are sometimes accompanied by words
that complete their meaning. These words are direct
objects and indirect objects.
A verb that has a direct object is called a transitive
verb. A verb that does not have a direct object is called
an instransitive verb.
Direct Objects
 A direct object is a noun (or a word behaving like a noun) that
receives the action of a transitive verb. The direct object
answers the question what or whom.
 Aidan threw a snowball.
 What did Aidan throw? a snowball
 Colin shoveled the steps
 What did Colin shovel? the steps
 Dusty chased the mailman.
 Whom did Dusty chase? the mailman
Indirect Objects
 An indirect object tells to what or to whom or for what or for
whom an action is done. An indirect object often follows the
verbs buy, bring, do, give, hand, offer, lend, teach, tell, play,
write, send, make, and show. Determine the indirect object by
rephrasing the sentence as a questions ending with to whom
or for whom.
 Ciara taught Dusty a new trick.
 Ciara taught a trick to whom? Dusty
 I sent my mother some pictures.
 Sent to whom? My mother
 The doctor gave Ciara a shot.
 The doctor gave a shot to whom? Ciara
Object of the Preposition
 If the preposition to or for appears in a sentence the
word that follows it is not an indirect object. It is
the object of a preposition.
Why does this matter in
writing?
 Using direct and indirect objects correctly can help
you give clear directions or advice when writing.
 If we use pronouns as the direct or indirect object
we will know that we need to use objective case
pronouns (stay tuned). That is why it is correct to
say: He gave me and my sister a reward for finding
his dog. It is incorrect to say: He gave my sister and
I a reward.
Be careful with linking
verbs

Linking Verbs do not take direct or indirect objects.

The word that a linking verb connects to its subject is called a subject
complement. It identifies or describes the subject (tells what the subject is
or is like). A subject complement can be either a predicate noun or a
predicate adjective.

A predicate noun follows a linking verb and identifies or renames the
subject.

Mrs. Dale is a teacher. (teacher is the predicate noun)

A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and
modifies the subject.

She looks happy. (happy is the predicate adjective)
