Lesson 4: Direct vs Indirect Objects: Using “To” and “For” in English
| David gave Maria some books. | David gave some books to Maria. |
|---|---|
| Here the verb give has two objects. David is the indirect object, the person receiving something. Some books is the direct object, the thing that someone gives. | Here give has a direct object (some books) and a phrase with to. To comes before Maria, the person receiving something. |
Here are some more examples of the two structures.
| Indirect Object | Direct Object | |
|---|---|---|
| Lucas gave | Anna | a gift. |
| Direct Object | Phrase with To/For | |
|---|---|---|
| Lucas gave | a gift | to Anna. |
To of for?
We give something to someone, and we buy something for someone.
We can use to with these verbs:bring, feed, give, hand, lend, offer, owe, pass, pay, post, promise, read, sell, send, show, take, teach, tell, throw, write.
| Verb + direct object + to + indirect object | Verb +indirect object + direct object |
|---|---|
| Daniel sent the invitation to his friend. | Daniel sent his friend the invitation. |
| Mark lent the book to his brother. | Marl lent his brother the book. |
We can use for with these verbs:book, bring, build, buy, choose, cook, fetch, find, get, leave, make, order, pick, reserve, save.
| Verb + direct object + for + indirect object | Verb + indirect object + direct object |
|---|---|
| We cooked a meal for them. | We cooked them a meal. |
| He bought a gift for her. | He bought her a gift. |
Give + pronoun
Sometimes there is a pronoun and a noun after a verb such as give.
The pronoun usually comes before the noun.
| Anna is jealous of Alex. She gave him a hard time. | Anna prepared a harsh comment. She gave it to Alex. |
| Subject + linking verb + adjective + prepositional phrase. Subject + verb + indirect object + direct object. | Subject + verb + direct object. Subject + verb + direct object + prepositional phrase. |
| We use him because Alex was mentioned earlier. | We used it because the comment was mentioned earlier. |
| In the sentence, him appears before ‘a hard time’. | It comes before Alex in the sentence. |
Word Wisdom :
| Word | Use For | Example | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard | Difficulty, effort, surface | a hard time, hard work | General, neutral/negative |
| Harsh | Severity, cruelty, intensity | harsh words, harsh reality | Stringly negative |
HARD
Meaning: tough, difficult, physically firm, emotionally painful
Tone: more general and flexible.
Can describe: tasks, situations, objects, feelings.
Common uses:
- ” a hard time” = emotionally or mentally difficult experience
- “hard surface” = physically solid or unyielding
- “a hard test” = difficult to complete
HARSH
Meaning: severe, cruel, unkind, unpleasant (often with a sharp or painful quality)
Tone: stringer, more negative and intense
Usually describes: tone, treatment, conditions, judgments
Common uses:
- “harsh words” = very critical or mean speech
- “harsh punishment” = too severe or unfair
- “harsh weather” = extremely cold or rough weather