Confusion about Direct and Indirect Objects

[David C]

I find myself on the spot sometimes when I have to explain when and when not to use prepositions with indirect objects.

I talk to people.
I teach adults.

Are there lists verbs with which prepositions are used and not used with indirect objects?

I get confused sometime when trying to identify an object as direct or indirect.

I would have identified "Adults" in the above example as a direct object but when I use the verb "To teach" with both direct and indirect objects, it's obviously an indirect object.

I teach English to adults.
English is the direct object and adults is the indirect object.

I teach English.
I teach adults.

Does anybody know some kind of trick to tell direct objects from indirect objects?

[Jamie (K)]

One verb can be both a one-object verb, requiring only a direct or indirect object, or the same verb can be a two-object verb that requires both.

Most comprehensive ESL textbooks will have a list somewhere (usually in an appendix) that shows examples of verbs that take direct objects, indirect objects or both.

Note also that English has hidden datives, so that in a sentence like, "She wrote me," the word "me" looks like a direct object but is really an indirect object.

The best way to learn the difference is to learn about what are called "semantic roles", which include things like agent, patient, recipient, etc. It's easier to use those to determine the what type of objects a verb takes than to look at a list of verbs.

David, what is your native language? Maybe that will help me help you.

[David C]