Direct and indirect objects
A direct object is the noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb directly, answering "what?" or "whom?". An indirect object is the noun or pronoun that receives the direct object, answering "to whom?" or "for whom?". Example: "She gave him a gift", where "a gift" is direct and "him" is indirect.
Types of direct and indirect objects
Direct object
The person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb.
e.g. read the book, call her, broke the window
Indirect object
The person or thing that benefits from or receives the direct object; it usually comes before the direct object or after 'to/for'.
e.g. gave her a letter, made us dinner, sent the client an invoice
Prepositional indirect object
An indirect object expressed with 'to' or 'for' instead of coming directly before the direct object.
e.g. gave a letter to her, bought a gift for him
Rules to remember
- Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can have a direct object; verbs like 'sleep' or 'arrive' cannot.
- The direct object always answers 'what' or 'whom' after the verb; the indirect object answers 'to/for whom' or 'to/for what'.
- Not every sentence with a direct object has an indirect object, but every indirect object requires a direct object to be present.
- Word order for two objects is usually: subject + verb + indirect object + direct object (e.g. 'He told me the news').
- When the indirect object follows the direct object, it needs 'to' or 'for' before it (e.g. 'He told the news to me').
Examples in sentences
| Example | How it works |
|---|---|
| I sent her an email. | 'Her' is the indirect object; 'an email' is the direct object. |
| The teacher explained the rule to the students. | 'The rule' is direct; 'to the students' is a prepositional indirect object. |
| Can you pass me the salt? | 'Me' is indirect; 'the salt' is direct, following standard word order. |
| They built a house. | Only a direct object appears; there is no indirect object here. |
| My grandmother knitted us matching scarves. | 'Us' is indirect; 'matching scarves' is direct. |
| She asked a difficult question. | 'A difficult question' is a direct object; the verb has no indirect object. |
Common mistakes
Incorrect: He explained me the problem.
Correct: He explained the problem to me.
Incorrect: She gave to him the keys.
Correct: She gave him the keys. / She gave the keys to him.
Incorrect: I described her the situation.
Correct: I described the situation to her.
Why this matters for IELTS
Using direct and indirect objects accurately, especially varying between the two word-order patterns ("gave her the book" versus "gave the book to her"), demonstrates sentence-structure control that examiners reward under Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Verbs like "explain", "describe" and "suggest" never take a direct indirect object (no "explain me"), and getting this right in speaking and writing avoids a common error that caps scores around Band 6.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a direct and indirect object?
A direct object receives the verb's action directly ('what' or 'whom'), while an indirect object receives the direct object itself, answering 'to/for whom'. For example, in 'He wrote her a letter', 'a letter' is direct and 'her' is indirect.
Can a sentence have an indirect object without a direct object?
No. An indirect object only exists to show who receives the direct object, so a direct object must always be present when there is an indirect object.
Which verbs commonly take both a direct and indirect object?
Verbs of giving, telling or making, such as 'give', 'send', 'tell', 'buy', 'show' and 'offer', commonly take both, as in 'She showed us the photos.'
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