Direct Objects

A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of an action verb. It answers the question “Whom?” or “What?” after the verb

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• Mr. Scheip ate a pizza by himself. [ He ate what?]

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• My friend met The Rock and John Stamos this summer. [She met whom?]

Indirect Object

A noun or pronoun that answers the question “To whom?” or “To what?” following an action verb.

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• Mr. Scheip gave us an assignment to complete. [He gave what? To whom was it given?]

• Charlotte sent Eliza a letter describing married life. [She sent what? To whom was it sent?]

​Hint: If there is an IO, it will ALWAYS go before a DO.

Object of the Preposition

The object of the preposition is a noun or pronoun at the end of a prepositional phrase.

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• I sent a letter to Elizabeth.

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• Beneath the banyan tree, there was a sense of tranquility.

Finding the subject and objects

* If you are completely lost, start by labelling the parts of speech as best you can

1. Put parentheses around the prepositional phrases = Object of the preposition

2. Find the verb(s) and ask “Who/what?” before the verb = subject

3. Ask “Whom/what?” after the verb = Direct Object

4. Ask “to/for whom/what?” after the verb and DO = Indirect object

   See, I told you it’s easy.