What is an Indirect Object?
An indirect object is the recipient of the direct object. It answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom?" It's usually found in sentences where a verb is followed by a direct object.
Where to Find an Indirect Object:
* Placement: Usually, an indirect object comes before the direct object in a sentence.
* Preposition: Sometimes, an indirect object is introduced by a preposition, such as "to" or "for."
When to Find an Indirect Object:
* Transitive Verbs: You'll find indirect objects only in sentences with *transitive verbs* (verbs that need a direct object).
Examples:
* "The teacher gave her students a quiz."
* Direct object: quiz
* Indirect object: her students (They received the quiz)
* "John sent his mother a birthday card."
* Direct object: birthday card
* Indirect object: his mother (She received the card)
* "My friend bought me a gift."
* Direct object: gift
* Indirect object: me (I received the gift)
* "He read the children a story."
* Direct object: story
* Indirect object: the children (They heard the story)
Important Note:
* No Indirect Object: Not every sentence with a direct object will have an indirect object. For example, "I ate an apple." Here, there's a direct object ("an apple"), but no one is receiving the apple (there's no indirect object).
Let me know if you'd like more examples or have any other questions about indirect objects!