Direct Object, Indirect Object, and Object of the Preposition: Differences 

An object is that part of a sentence that receives the action of the subject, conventionally. It receives the action initiated or performed by the subject of a sentence either directly or indirectly. However, this definition does not wholesomely cover the scope of objects, so this article will be doing a concise revelation of the scope of object and the differences between the various types that exist.

There are three types of object: Direct object, Indirect object, and Object of the preposition, and each type performs a different function in sentences.

Direct Object 

Direct objects are objects that directly receives the action of the subject. That is, they are direct receipients of the actions initiated or performed by the subject of a sentence. Take for example;

1. John threw a stone.

2. Mary picked the book.

3. The principal scolded the girls.

4. Students ate their foods.

5. The boys chased the dogs.

In each of the sentences in the examples above, the grammatical elements that come right after the finite verbs are the direct objects of the sentence. This is because they form the part of the sentence that is directly affected by the actions taken by the subjects of the sentences.

Indirect Object 

Indirect objects are objects, different from direct object, that receive the direct object of a sentence. These objects do not receive the actions initiated or performed by the subject of a sentence, rather they receive the direct objects which receives the actions of the subject. By receiving the direct object of a sentence, indirect objects indirectly receive the actions of the subject of a sentence. Take for example;

1. He gave me the book

2. John bought her a nice gown.

3. Sophia made him a delicious pancake.

4. The principal gave them some kitchen utensils.

5. Mr. Mark made Josephine a nice pendant.

Now, considering the rule stated in the section on direct objects, you might be tempted to assume that the elements coming after the verbs in the sentences above are direct objects but they are not. Infact, it is the element that comes right after them that is a direct object. If you analyze the sentences closely, you would find out that the elements coming right after the verbs do not receive the actions of the subject directly. Let us use example 1 as a case study.

"He gave me the book", "me" here is not the direct object of the sentence because, before "he" handed over "the book" to me, he must have picked it up first or collected it from someone. That is the first action which "the book" receives directly, and so when the book, that was first picked up, is given to "me", "me" becomes the indirect receipient of the action.

In simpler terms, before the book was given to me, it was first removed from its original position, and that very action which the book receives directly without any third party, automatically qualifies it as the direct object. Now, when the book is given to me, I am not the direct receipient of the action of the subject because something already received the action directly, which is the book. What I receive is the direct object, "the book", which already received the action of the subject.

A magic trick to find out when you have an indirect object in a sentence is to rewrite the sentence adding "to" to it. For example;

"He gave me the book", will be rewritten as "He gave the book to me". Now we have both the direct object, and the indirect object in their rightful positions.

Object of the Preposition 

Object of the Preposition is the last type of object. This type of object is much different compared to the other objects. Object of the Preposition has nothing to do with the subject, however it functions as the complement of a preposition. An object of the preposition is any element that appears right after a preposition in a sentence and forms a prepositional phrase together with the preposition. Take for example;

1. The book is on the table.

2. The hulk is on a rampage.

3. Children are about the entertainment.

4. Students were on the ceiling.

5. Girls are coming from the change room.

Each of the grammatical elements coming right after the prepositions in each of the sentences above forms a prepositional phrase together with the preposition. They then function as the complement of the preposition. So basically, objects of the preposition are grammatical elements that appear right after a preposition forming a prepositional phrase together with it.

The difference that exists between direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of the preposition is: direct objects are direct receipients of the actions of a subject, indirect objects receive the direct objects of a sentence, indirectly receiving the actions of the subject, while objects of the preposition are grammatical elements that appear right after a preposition forming a prepositional phrase together with it.

Related posts:

Prepositional Phrases as Adjectives and Adverbs