Sentence Types Questions Medium
In a sentence, both direct and indirect objects are types of objects that receive the action of the verb. However, they differ in terms of their roles and positions within the sentence.
A direct object is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that directly receives the action of the verb. It answers the question "what" or "whom" after the verb. It is always a part of a transitive verb, which is a verb that requires an object to complete its meaning. For example, in the sentence "She ate an apple," the direct object is "an apple" because it directly receives the action of the verb "ate."
On the other hand, an indirect object is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that indicates to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done. It answers the question "to whom" or "for whom" after the verb. It is always used with a direct object and a transitive verb. For example, in the sentence "He gave his sister a book," the indirect object is "his sister" because it indicates to whom the action of giving is done, while the direct object is "a book" because it directly receives the action of the verb "gave."
To summarize, the main difference between direct and indirect objects is that the direct object directly receives the action of the verb, while the indirect object indicates to whom or for whom the action is done.