indirect object
B2Technical, academic, pedagogical (grammar instruction); occasionally used in everyday language when explaining communication or action.
Definition
Meaning
The noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives the direct object of a transitive verb or that is affected by the action of the verb in relation to the direct object. It answers the questions 'to whom?' or 'for whom?' an action is done.
In grammatical analysis, an indirect object identifies the secondary recipient or beneficiary of the action performed upon the direct object. It typically precedes the direct object in a ditransitive verb construction (e.g., 'She gave him the book'). It can often be paraphrased with a prepositional phrase using 'to' or 'for' (e.g., 'She gave the book to him').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The indirect object is inherently relational; it exists only in clauses containing a direct object and a ditransitive verb (like 'give', 'send', 'tell', 'offer'). Not all languages grammatically distinguish indirect objects.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in grammatical definition or core usage. Pedagogical emphasis might vary slightly, with UK grammar resources sometimes placing more emphasis on clause patterns (e.g., SVOO).
Connotations
Neutral technical term in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common in educational and linguistic contexts in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object (SVOO)Subject + Verb + Direct Object + to/for + Indirect Object (paraphrase)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in clear communication training to ensure instructions or benefits are correctly attributed (e.g., 'The manager awarded the team a bonus').
Academic
Central to syntactic theory, discussion of argument structure, and language teaching methodologies.
Everyday
Occurs when explaining who received something (e.g., 'I baked my neighbour a cake').
Technical
Fundamental term in descriptive and theoretical linguistics, grammar parsing, and computational linguistics.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The council offered the residents new recycling bins.
- Could you pass me the salt, please?
American English
- The company awarded its employees a generous bonus.
- I'll text you the details later.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My mum read me a story.
- He bought his sister a gift.
- Could you show me your passport?
- The teacher told the class a funny joke.
- The judge granted the defendant bail.
- The charity provides families in need with essential supplies.
- The complex legislation effectively denied many claimants their rightful benefits.
- His analysis ascribed the ancient text a significance previously overlooked by scholars.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: The indirect object is the person/thing that is indirectly affected. If you can rephrase the sentence with 'to' or 'for' and move the element, it's likely the indirect object. (e.g., 'I sent my friend a letter' -> 'I sent a letter to my friend').
Conceptual Metaphor
A TRANSFER OF AN OBJECT metaphor underpins the prototypical indirect object: an AGENT (subject) transfers a THING (direct object) towards a RECIPIENT (indirect object).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Russian uses the Dative case (дательный падеж) for the indirect object without a preposition, whereas English uses word order or the preposition 'to/for'.
- Russian speakers might incorrectly use 'for' instead of 'to' with verbs of communication (e.g., 'Explain me this' is a calque from Russian; correct English is 'Explain this to me').
Common Mistakes
- Confusing the indirect object with an object of a preposition (e.g., 'I spoke to the manager' – 'the manager' is object of 'to', not an indirect object).
- Assuming all sentences with a direct object also have an indirect object.
- Placing the indirect object after the direct object without the required preposition 'to' or 'for' (e.g., *'I gave the book him').
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence correctly contains an indirect object?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but only when introduced by the prepositions 'to' or 'for'. This is a paraphrasing of the canonical structure (e.g., 'She gave him the book' -> 'She gave the book to him').
Yes. It answers 'for whom?' and can be paraphrased as 'He bought a coffee for me.' 'Me' is the indirect object pronoun.
No. Only ditransitive verbs (like give, send, show, tell) can take an indirect object. Monotransitive verbs (like eat, destroy, love) take only a direct object.
First, find the verb and the direct object. Then ask 'to/for whom?' or 'to/for what?' the action of the verb is done regarding the direct object. The answer is the indirect object.