Indirect object
Definition
An indirect object identifies the person or group that receives something or benefits from an action. In the double-object pattern, it normally comes before the direct object: She sent me a message.
Examples
-
Leo sent me a message.
Me is the recipient; a message is the direct object.
-
She taught the group English.
The group receives the teaching, while English is the content taught.
-
We bought Maya a ticket.
Maya is the beneficiary of buying the ticket.
Indirect object vs. prepositional recipient
Leo sent me a message.
The recipient appears before the direct object without a preposition.
Leo sent a message to me.
The recipient follows the direct object inside a to phrase.
Many transfer verbs allow both patterns, but the grammatical structure is different.
Not every verb allows the double-object pattern
Verbs such as give, send, show, tell, offer, buy and make commonly allow an indirect object before a direct object. Other verbs require a preposition.
-
She explained the problem to me.
Explain does not normally take me directly before the problem.
-
He described the route to us.
Describe normally uses a prepositional recipient.
Common mistakes
She explained me the problem.
She explained the problem to me.
Explain requires the recipient in a to phrase.
Leo sent to me a message.
Leo sent me a message.
In the double-object pattern, omit to and place the indirect object before the direct object.
Quick check
Question 1 of 3
Which word is the indirect object in Maya gave Leo the key?
Leo receives the key, so Leo is the indirect object.Which sentence correctly uses a prepositional recipient after explain?
Explain normally takes the thing explained as its object and the recipient in a to phrase.Which sentence uses a natural double-object pattern?
Buy someone something is a normal double-object pattern.Nice work — you've completed the quick check.
It's free. No ads. No credit card.