Direct Object: The person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb.
Indirect Object: The person or thing that indirectly receives the action of the verb (often the recipient of the direct object).
Here's a breakdown:
Structure: Subject + Ditransitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object
Examples:
* "She gave him a book."
* Subject: She
* Ditransitive Verb: gave
* Indirect Object: him (the person receiving the book)
* Direct Object: a book (the thing being given)
* "The teacher assigned the students homework."
* Subject: The teacher
* Ditransitive Verb: assigned
* Indirect Object: the students (the recipients of the homework)
* Direct Object: homework (the thing being assigned)
Key Characteristics:
* Ditransitive verbs typically express actions of giving, telling, or showing.
* The indirect object usually answers the question "To whom?" or "For whom?"
* The direct object usually answers the question "What?" or "Whom?"
Important Notes:
* Prepositional phrases: Sometimes the indirect object is expressed using a prepositional phrase (e.g., "She gave a book *to him*").
* Not all verbs that take two objects are ditransitive: Some verbs can be transitive (taking one direct object) or intransitive (taking no object), depending on context. For example, "He sent a letter" (transitive) vs. "He sent to the store" (intransitive).
Examples of Ditransitive Verbs:
* give
* tell
* show
* offer
* send
* assign
* lend
* promise
* explain
* teach