What is a direct or indirect object?

Answer 1

Say the direct object then ask "to or for whom?'' If your answer is in a prepositional phrase, then it will not be your indirect object. You will not have one for that sentence.!

Cindy handed Lulu an ice cream.

here, the direct object is ice cream ( Answers the question who or what was handed)

Lulu is an indirect object. The indirect object is the one that can be turned around and expressed with to or for.

Cindy handed the ice cream to Lulu

Answer 2

A direct object receives the action of an active verb, while an indirect object receives a result of that action. Example: "Mother sent me a gift". "gift" is the direct object, receiving the action of the meaning of the verb "sent"; a present is what was sent. The recipient of the resulting gift, "me", the first person singular personal pronoun in its objective case, is the singular speaker or writer of the sentence. The gift itself, in its specific characteristic as a gift rather than something acquired by purchase or one's own efforts, is a result of the action of giving and is received by the speaker or writer of the sentence.

If the questioner already understands the difference in meaning between the English preposition "to" and the pair of prepositions "for" or "against", this can be summarized by noting that the direct object receives "action to" while the indirect object receives "action for or against".

Answer 3

direct object answers what to the verb and indirect object answers who to the verb.

Answer 4

Here are some: Alice gave me a dirty look. -- me is an indirect object. John told the teacher a lie. --teacher is the indirect object.so a indirect object is the subject. :)