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# indirect

adjective (indirect)

«indirect» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Not going straight: an indirect route. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#m1)
2. Not said openly or plainly: an indirect answer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#m2)
3. Happening as a side result rather than directly: an indirect cause. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#m3)
4. (grammar) Indirect speech reports what someone said without their exact words; an indirect object receives the thing given (She gave me a book: me). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#m4)

### In the lessons

In grammar (indirect speech, indirect object), science (indirect evidence), maths (indirect proportion), and everyday life (indirect hints). Phrases: indirect speech, indirect object, indirect route, indirect sunlight.

### Examples

- We took an indirect route through the park. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#x1)
- He gave an indirect answer and didn't say yes or no. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#x2)
- Direct speech: Tom said, I am hungry. Indirect speech: Tom said he was hungry. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#x3)
- In She gave me a pen, me is the indirect object. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#x4)
- Some plants like indirect sunlight. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#x5)
- Smoking is an indirect cause of many illnesses. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/#x6)

### Note

Opposite: direct. Adverb: indirectly. Indirect speech: no speech marks and often the tense moves back (am to was). Also called reported speech.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «indirect» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indirect/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«indirect» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/indirect.html) on Mova free.