Object in English Grammar: Definition, Types, and Examples

The object is a key part of many English sentences. While the subject does the action, the object receives it. Together, they help form complete, meaningful sentences.

In this article, you’ll learn what objects do in a sentence, the difference between direct and indirect objects, and how to recognize them with confidence.

What Is an Object?

In English grammar, the object is the part of a sentence that receives the action of the verb. It’s usually a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that follows the verb and completes the sentence’s meaning.

Examples:

• Mia kicked the ball.
  (What did Mia kick? → the ball is the object.)
• The teacher praised her.
  (Whom did the teacher praise? → her is the object.)

Without the object, the action may feel incomplete or unclear. That’s why understanding how objects work is essential to writing full, meaningful sentences.

Types of Objects

Objects can play different roles in a sentence depending on how they interact with the verb. The two most common types are direct objects and indirect objects.

Direct Object

A direct object receives the action of the verb directly. It answers the question “what?” or “whom?” after the verb.

Examples:

• Liam built a treehouse.
  (What did Liam build? → a treehouse is the direct object.)
• She called her friend.
  (Whom did she call? → her friend is the direct object.)

Indirect Object

An indirect object tells to whom or for whom the action is done. It usually comes before the direct object.

Examples:

• Maya gave her brother a gift.
  (To whom did Maya give a gift? → her brother is the indirect object; a gift is the direct object.)
• He sent me an email.
  (To whom did he send an email? → me is the indirect object; an email is the direct object.)

Both types of objects help complete the sentence and clarify who is involved and what is being affected.

Identifying Objects in Sentences

To find the object in a sentence, start by locating the verb, then ask the right question after it—usually “What?”, “Whom?”, or “To whom?”

Step-by-step method:

1. Find the verb
   • What action is taking place?
2. Ask what or whom is affected by the verb
   • The answer is the object.

Examples:

• Sentence: The artist painted a landscape.
  → Painted what? → a landscape is the object.
• Sentence: She handed the clerk her passport.
  → Handed what? → her passport (direct object)
  → Handed to whom? → the clerk (indirect object)

This method works for most action verbs. Keep in mind that not all sentences have an object—only those where something or someone is directly affected by the action.

Object Pronouns

Object pronouns take the place of nouns that receive the action in a sentence. They’re often used to avoid repetition and to keep writing smooth.

Common Object Pronouns:

• me, you, him, her, it, us, them

These pronouns can function as direct or indirect objects in a sentence.

Examples:

• Direct Object:
  I saw him at the store.
  (“Him” replaces a person receiving the action of “saw.”)
• Indirect Object:
  She gave us a ride.
  (“Us” receives the benefit of the action; “a ride” is the direct object.)

Using the correct object pronoun is important for sentence clarity and grammatical accuracy—especially when the subject and object refer to different people or things.

Objects of Prepositions

Objects don’t always follow the main verb. They can also come after prepositions like in, on, to, with, under, and about. When this happens, they’re called objects of the preposition.

These objects help complete prepositional phrases, which provide extra detail about location, time, direction, or relationships.

Examples:

• She sat on the chair.
  (“Chair” is the object of the preposition “on.”)
• We talked about the project.
  (“Project” is the object of the preposition “about.”)
• The keys are under the table.
  (“Table” is the object of the preposition “under.”)

Recognizing objects of prepositions is helpful when breaking down sentence parts and avoiding confusion with direct or indirect objects.

FAQs About Objects in English Grammar