What is an Indirect Object?
An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that names the recipient of the direct object and always appears after the verb but before the direct object.
Examples of Indirect Objects
Some examples of indirect objects would be the following:
The teacher handed the students the graded tests. (“handed” = transitive verb; “tests” = direct object; “students” = indirect object)
Audrey passed Bridget the soccer ball. (“passed” = transitive verb; “ball” = direct object; “Bridget” = indirect object)
Kiana bought her dog peanut butter treats. (“bought” = transitive verb; “treats” = direct object; “dog” = indirect object)
My parents gave me a new backpack before school started. (“gave” = transitive verb; “backpack” = direct object; “me” = indirect object)
Indirect Objects in Context
GrammarFlip’s grammar-in-context videos provide an additional layer of instruction, learning, and relatability.
Our unique and memorable video footage helps solidify the understanding of challenging grammar concepts.
Watch this video to better understand indirect objects!
What to Know About Indirect Objects
There are a few things that you will want to know about indirect objects:
1. In order for there to be an indirect object in the sentence, there must be a direct object. In other words, you can’t have an indirect object without a direct object.
2. Indirect objects always appear between the verb and direct object in a sentence. These parts of the sentence will appear in the following order:
Verb | Indirect Object | Direct Object
I passed Gabriella the ball. (passed = verb, Gabriella = indirect object, ball = direct object)
3. Indirect objects can never be inside of a prepositional phrase. Never.
4. Many times, indirect objects can be rephrased and placed into a prepositional phrase:
Hadley gave Antonio a gift.
Hadley gave a gift to Antonio.
Notice that in the first sentence “Antonio” is the indirect object, but in the second sentence we simply rephrased it, and “Antonio” is no longer the indirect object; instead, “Antonio” is now the object of the preposition.
Download a Free Worksheet on Indirect Objects!
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Do your students understand the difference between direct and indirect objects?
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