Some verbs, like give, send, show, tell, make and buy, can take two objects. The direct object is what is given or made. The indirect object tells to whom or for whom.
Key idea
The indirect object comes between the verb and the direct object, with no to or for in front of it. A sentence can have an indirect object only if it also has a direct object.
Why it works
English has two ways to say the same thing: “gave Sam a book” and “gave a book to Sam.” Grammar labels them differently because the words do different jobs. In the second, Sam is the object of the preposition to.
Worked example: Two objects
Find both objects: “The coach handed the team a map.”
- Handed what? a map: the direct object.
- To whom? the team: the indirect object, between the verb and the direct object.
Answer: indirect object team, direct object map
Worked example: The to version
Does “She gave the map to Sam” have an indirect object?
- The direct object is map.
- to Sam is a prepositional phrase. Sam is the object of the preposition.
Answer: No
Common mistake
Swapping the two objects. The indirect object comes first and is the person (or thing) receiving: in “Dad baked us a pie,” us is indirect and pie is direct. Check: can you move it after to or for (“baked a pie for us”)? Then it is the indirect object.