What is the indirect object in the following sentence? - Free Printable

Let's solve each sentence by identifying the direct object and indirect object, using the definitions provided:

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🔹 Definitions Recap:

- Direct object: Answers *"what?"* or *"who?"* — it receives the action of the verb.
- Indirect object: Answers *"to whom?"* or *"for whom?"* — it is the recipient of the direct object.

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✔ Sentence 1: *Our boss is buying us dinner.*

- What is being bought? → dinner
→ So, direct object = dinner
- Who is receiving the dinner? → us
→ So, indirect object = us

✔ Direct object: dinner
✔ Indirect object: us

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✔ Sentence 2: *The teacher give us some work to do.*

> Note: There’s a grammar error here. It should be "gives" instead of "give", but we’ll analyze based on meaning.

- What is being given? → some work to do
→ So, direct object = some work to do
- To whom is the work given? → us
→ So, indirect object = us

✔ Direct object: some work to do
✔ Indirect object: us

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✔ Sentence 3: *David repaired his car.*

- What was repaired? → his car
→ So, direct object = his car
- Is there someone receiving the car? No — the car is just being fixed.

✘ No indirect object (only one object)

✔ Direct object: his car
✔ Indirect object: none

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✔ Sentence 4: *He invited Mary to the party.*

- Who was invited? → Mary
→ So, direct object = Mary
- Is Mary receiving something? Yes — the invitation to the party. But "to the party" is a prepositional phrase modifying the invitation.

However, in this case:
- The verb invite takes a direct object (the person being invited).
- There is no indirect object because “to the party” is not an object — it's a complement.

So:
✔ Direct object: Mary
✔ Indirect object: none

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✔ Sentence 5: *They sent him a postcard.*

- What was sent? → a postcard
→ So, direct object = a postcard
- To whom was it sent? → him
→ So, indirect object = him

✔ Direct object: a postcard
✔ Indirect object: him

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✔ Sentence 6: *He bought his son a bike.*

- What was bought? → a bike
→ So, direct object = a bike
- For whom was it bought? → his son
→ So, indirect object = his son

✔ Direct object: a bike
✔ Indirect object: his son

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🟩 Final Answers:

| Sentence | Direct Object | Indirect Object |
|--------|---------------|-----------------|
| 1. Our boss is buying us dinner. | dinner | us |
| 2. The teacher gives us some work to do. | some work to do | us |
| 3. David repaired his car. | his car | none |
| 4. He invited Mary to the party. | Mary | none |
| 5. They sent him a postcard. | a postcard | him |
| 6. He bought his son a bike. | a bike | his son |

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💡 Tip: In sentences like "buy", "send", "give", "invite", etc., if you see a structure like:
> [Subject] + [Verb] + [Person] + [Thing]
Then:
- The person is the indirect object
- The thing is the direct object

This helps identify them quickly!