Here's a breakdown:
* Direct Object: The thing or person that is acted upon by the verb.
* Indirect Object: The person or thing that benefits from the action of the verb.
Example:
* Sentence: "John gave Mary a flower."
* Direct Object: "flower" (This is what John gave)
* Indirect Object: "Mary" (This is who received the flower)
In this example, the verb "gave" is transitive (it takes a direct object). The direct object is "flower," and the indirect object is "Mary." The sentence tells us that John gave the flower to Mary.
Key Points about Indirect Objects:
* They usually come before the direct object.
* They are often introduced by prepositions like "to" or "for."
* They can be nouns, pronouns, or noun phrases.
Here are more examples:
* "He told me a story." (Indirect object: "me"; Direct object: "story")
* "She baked her grandmother a cake." (Indirect object: "grandmother"; Direct object: "cake")
* "The teacher assigned the students a homework assignment." (Indirect object: "students"; Direct object: "homework assignment")
Understanding the role of indirect objects helps you to interpret sentences and understand the relationships between the people and things involved in the action.