An indirect object is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that usually appears between a verb and its direct object. It often identifies someone who receives something or benefits from an action, although some verbs use the same grammatical pattern to express other relationships.
Consider:
The caretaker handed the visitors a set of spare keys.
The visitors is the indirect object. They receive what the caretaker hands over.
A set of spare keys is the direct object. It identifies what is handed over.
The usual pattern is:
Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object
Someone may receive or benefit from something without being an indirect object in the sentence. What matters is how the verb is used.
How to Identify an Indirect Object
Find the verb and direct object first. Then check whether the verb also takes an indirect object.
The librarian showed the students a handwritten map of the village.
A handwritten map of the village is the direct object of showed. It identifies what the librarian showed.
The students is the indirect object, identifying the people who were shown the map.
Asking to whom? or for whom? can help you understand the meaning, but those questions alone don’t establish the grammatical function.
When There Is No Indirect Object
A verb may have a direct object without an indirect object.
Compare:
The gallery sent the artist a revised contract.
The gallery sent a revised contract.
The first sentence has two objects. The artist is the indirect object, and a revised contract is the direct object.
The second has only a direct object. It doesn’t identify who received the contract, but the sentence is still complete.
A person mentioned after a verb isn’t necessarily an indirect object, either.
The gallery contacted the artist about the exhibition.
Here, the artist is the direct object of contacted.
For a detailed explanation of these grammatical elements, see Object in English Grammar.
Indirect Objects and Prepositional Recipients
Many verbs allow a recipient or beneficiary to be expressed in two different constructions.
The publisher sent the illustrator a copy of the final cover.
The publisher sent a copy of the final cover to the illustrator.
Both sentences describe the same transfer.
In the first, the illustrator is the indirect object of sent.
In the second, the illustrator is the object of the preposition to. The phrase to the illustrator expresses the recipient, but it isn’t an indirect object in this construction.
When to Use To
With verbs such as give, lend, send, show, and offer, a recipient can often be introduced by to.
The technician lent her colleague a portable charger.
The technician lent a portable charger to her colleague.
Both versions are natural. The difference is how the recipient is expressed.
When to Use For
Other verbs, including buy, make, find, and save, can use for to introduce someone who benefits from an action.
The carpenter made his neighbour a wooden storage box.
The carpenter made a wooden storage box for his neighbour.
In the first sentence, his neighbour is an indirect object.
In the second, his neighbour is the object of for.
Although to and for can both introduce people connected with an action, they aren’t interchangeable.
Compare:
Nadia wrote a letter to her uncle.
Nadia wrote a letter for her uncle.
The first sentence normally identifies her uncle as the intended recipient.
The second can mean that Nadia wrote the letter on his behalf or for his benefit. The intended meaning depends on the context.
Why One Word Order May Sound More Natural
When both constructions are possible, pronouns, phrase length, and what the speaker wants to emphasise can influence the choice.
Compare:
The receptionist handed the visitor the instructions.
The receptionist handed the instructions to the visitor who had arrived after closing time.
The second version places the longer recipient phrase at the end, where it reads naturally.
English often places longer or newer information later in a sentence, although this is a tendency rather than a fixed rule.
Which Verbs Can Take an Indirect Object?
Not every verb permits the same object patterns. Three common arrangements explain why some sentences that express similar meanings have different grammatical structures.
Verbs That Allow Both Constructions
Verbs such as give, send, lend, and show often allow both a double-object construction and a prepositional alternative.
The curator sent the conservator the photographs.
The curator sent the photographs to the conservator.
Both constructions are standard. The choice changes how the information is arranged.
Verbs That Require a Prepositional Recipient
Some verbs normally introduce the recipient with a preposition rather than using the double-object pattern.
The curator explained the damage to the conservator.
We wouldn’t normally say:
The curator explained the conservator the damage.
The verb explain doesn’t permit that ordinary double-object construction.
Similar restrictions apply to verbs such as describe, mention, and donate.
| Natural construction | Not standard in this meaning |
|---|---|
| Describe the problem to me. | Describe me the problem. |
| Mention the delay to your supervisor. | Mention your supervisor the delay. |
| Donate several computers to the school. | Donate the school several computers. |
These verbs can express the transfer of information or things without allowing the recipient to appear as an indirect object.
Verbs That Take Two Objects Without the Usual Alternative
The opposite restriction also exists. Some verbs permit two objects but don’t allow the ordinary to/for rearrangement.
The delay cost the organisers several thousand pounds.
In this construction, the organisers is the indirect object, while several thousand pounds is the direct object expressing the amount lost.
But we cannot normally express the same meaning by saying:
The delay cost several thousand pounds to the organisers.
Unlike the recipient of send, the organisers aren’t receiving something. They are experiencing a financial cost.
This is why the intended meaning alone doesn’t determine whether a noun phrase is an indirect object. The verb’s grammatical pattern matters.
Indirect Object Pronouns
Personal pronouns can function as indirect objects. Common forms include me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
The director offered her a place on the training programme.
Her is the indirect object of offered.
The receptionist gave us the updated appointment details.
Us is the indirect object of gave.
These pronoun forms also occur as direct objects and objects of prepositions. Their grammatical function depends on the construction.
When the Direct Object Is a Pronoun
English often favours the prepositional construction when the direct object is a short pronoun such as it or them.
Please send it to me.
This is generally more natural in standard written English than:
Please send me it.
The second version occurs in some varieties of English, but send it to me is the more widely suitable choice.
The same preference appears in:
Could you show them to the manager?
Indirect Objects in Passive Voice
With certain verbs, the indirect object of an active sentence can become the subject of a passive sentence.
Consider:
The museum offered the researcher a temporary position.
The researcher is the indirect object, while a temporary position is the direct object.
In the passive voice, the sentence can become:
The researcher was offered a temporary position by the museum.
The former indirect object is now the subject.
Another passive construction is also possible:
A temporary position was offered to the researcher by the museum.
This time, the original direct object becomes the subject.
The first version directs attention towards the researcher. The second brings the position into focus.
Not every verb that takes two objects permits both passive arrangements naturally. The available constructions depend on the verb.
Indirect Objects in Longer Sentences
An indirect object may be a complete noun phrase containing modifiers or a relative clause. In longer sentences, it helps to identify which expression belongs to each verb.
Consider:
The coordinator sent the volunteers who had requested extra equipment a list of supplies that local shops could provide.
The main verb is sent.
| Expression | Grammatical function |
|---|---|
| the volunteers who had requested extra equipment | Indirect object of sent |
| a list of supplies that local shops could provide | Direct object of sent |
| extra equipment | Direct object of had requested |
| that, referring to supplies | Object of could provide |
The coordinator sent a list to a particular group of volunteers. The first relative clause, who had requested extra equipment, tells us which volunteers.
The second relative clause, that local shops could provide, identifies the supplies on the list. Within that clause, that refers to the supplies the shops could provide.
These clauses add information inside the larger object phrases without changing the main relationship: the coordinator sent the volunteers a list.
Compound Indirect Objects
An indirect object can also contain two or more coordinated noun phrases.
The expedition leader sent the researchers and the local guides an updated route plan.
The researchers and the local guides together form a compound indirect object. Both groups receive the same plan.
An updated route plan is the direct object.
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