What Is the Difference Between Direct & Indirect Objects?
A direct object, which is always a noun or pronoun, is acted upon by the verb in the sentence. It directly receives the action of the verb. An indirect object, also a noun or pronoun, indicates who or whom in relationship to the direct object.
Examples
Take this sentence for example that only possesses a direct object. "John passed the ball." A direct object answers what was passed: the ball. "John passed Thomas the ball." Thomas, the indirect object, answers who or whom intercepted the ball.
Positioning
Indirect objects always come before the direct object. Notice in the previous example that "Thomas" is placed before the "ball."
Prepositional phrase
Direct objects never occur within a prepositional phrase. "John passed to his friend." No direct or indirect object is present in this sentence; only the prepositional phrase "to his friend."
Dissecting a sentence
Dissect a sentence to discover the direct and indirect object. First, identify the subject and the verb of the sentence. Take for example, "John passed his friend the ball." The subject and verb, respectively, are "John" and "passed." To find the direct object, ask yourself, "What did John pass?" The answer is "the ball." For the indirect object, ask yourself, "Who was the ball passed to?" The answer is "a friend."
Indirect objects
Indirect objects must be paired with direct objects.
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