In the example 'Tom threw Sue, the football', which word is the indirect object?

In the example 'Tom threw Sue, the football', which word is the indirect object?

• A. Sue
• B. Across the yard
• C. Tom
• D. The football

Answer: (A)

The thing being acted on is to identify who receives the object of the action. In this sentence, the action is throwing. The football is what’s thrown, so it’s the direct object. The recipient of that football is Sue, so she is the indirect object. Tom is the one performing the action (the subject). The phrase across the yard just tells where something happens and isn’t part of the object structure. If you rewrote it as “Tom threw the football to Sue,” you’d still have Sue as the recipient, confirming her role as the indirect object.

The thing being acted on is to identify who receives the object of the action. In this sentence, the action is throwing. The football is what’s thrown, so it’s the direct object. The recipient of that football is Sue, so she is the indirect object. Tom is the one performing the action (the subject). The phrase across the yard just tells where something happens and isn’t part of the object structure. If you rewrote it as “Tom threw the football to Sue,” you’d still have Sue as the recipient, confirming her role as the indirect object.