Language & Literature

Direct and Indirect Object Quiz: Examples and Practice

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This quiz helps you spot direct and indirect objects in sentences and pick the correct object each time. Get quick feedback, track errors, and build grammar confidence for school or everyday writing. For related practice, try our types of pronouns quiz and who vs whom practice, or review structure with a subject and predicate quiz.

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1Identify the direct object in the sentence: She mailed the letter to her grandmother.
2In the sentence: He gave his sister a book, which word is the indirect object?
3A direct object answers which question about the verb?
4An indirect object typically appears in which position in a double-object sentence like: She sent her friend a message?
5True or False: The phrase to the manager in She handed the form to the manager fun<wbr>ctions as an indirect object expressed with a preposition.
6Choose the sentence that contains no direct object.
7Which sentence shows the dative shift correctly (moving the indirect object before the direct object without a preposition)?
8True or False: The direct object and indirect object can both be pronouns in the same sentence.
9In the sentence "After the storm, we found the boat intact.", which word is a direct object?
10In Which sentence is the pronoun placement acceptable with both objects as pronouns?
11True or False: In the sentence She told the story to them, the phrase to them fun<wbr>ctions as an indirect object realized as a prepositional phrase.
12Choose the sentence in which the particle of a phrasal verb separates from the direct object correctly:
13Select the sentence with a prepositional indirect object using for that cannot shift to a double-object form without changing meaning:
14Which sentence correctly uses cost with objects?
15In Which sentence is the word order unacceptable for double objects in standard English?
16Select the sentence where the verb allows a double-object construction without a preposition (i.e., verb + indirect object + direct object) in standard English.
17Which sentence correctly alternates between double-object and prepositional forms without changing meaning?
18Choose the sentence where the noun clause fun<wbr>ctions as an indirect object.
19Identify the sentence in which the direct object is a bare that-less clause.
20Select the sentence where moving the indirect object before the direct object changes acceptability:
Learning Goals

Study Outcomes

  1. Identify direct and indirect objects -

    Parse sentences to recognize who receives the action (indirect object) and what the action affects (direct object).

  2. Analyze direct and indirect object examples with answers -

    Review clear examples with instant feedback to reinforce your understanding of each object's role in a sentence.

  3. Apply direct object and indirect object practice -

    Complete targeted exercises that strengthen your ability to place and use objects correctly in varied sentence structures.

  4. Evaluate sentences using direct and indirect objects exercises -

    Assess your responses and learn from mistakes through detailed explanations that highlight object usage.

  5. Interpret complex sentences in a direct object quiz -

    Improve grammar accuracy by mastering object identification in challenging contexts and sentence forms.

Study Guide

Cheat Sheet

  1. Identifying Direct Objects -

    Direct objects answer "what?" or "whom?" after a transitive verb; for example, in "She solved the problem," "the problem" is the direct object. Purdue OWL recommends this simple test to solidify your direct object and indirect object practice. Regularly spotting direct and indirect object examples with answers builds confidence and accuracy.

  2. Spotting Indirect Objects -

    Indirect objects answer "to whom/for whom?" the action is done; in "He gave Maria a gift," "Maria" is the indirect object. The University of North Carolina's writing center suggests looking for recipient clues right before the direct object. A quick mnemonic is "IO before DO" when no preposition appears.

  3. Using the "What/Whom" and "To/For Whom" Tests -

    First ask "what?" or "whom?" to find the direct object, then ask "to whom?" or "for whom?" to locate the indirect object. For instance, "They baked cookies for their friends" yields DO = "cookies" and IO = "their friends." Practicing these steps turns abstract rules into second nature.

  4. Reordering with Prepositions -

    When you place the direct object before the indirect object, add "to" or "for": "She sent a letter to her cousin." This structure clarifies meaning and is widely recommended in Cambridge Grammar guidelines. Converting "He gave Sarah a book" into "He gave a book to Sarah" is an easy exercise in direct and indirect objects exercises.

  5. Avoiding Common Pitfalls -

    Watch pronoun forms: use "him" instead of "he" and "us" instead of "we" as objects ("The teacher praised him," not "he"). The Oxford English Grammar notes that correct pronoun choice prevents confusion. Consistent direct object quiz drills help you internalize these subtle yet crucial distinctions.

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Michael HodgeEdTech Product Lead & Assessment Design SpecialistQuiz Maker
Updated Feb 24, 2026