What is indirect?

Indirect means something happens through another thing, not straight away.

Imagine you're trying to get your favorite toy from across the room. Instead of running all the way there, you ask your big brother to grab it for you. He does, and then brings it back to you. That’s indirect, you used someone else (your brother) to help you get what you wanted.

Sometimes, when you want to tell someone something, but they’re not close by, you use another person or thing as a helper. It's like sending a message in a bottle across the sea, it takes time and goes through more than one step.

When you write a letter to your friend, you don’t hand it directly to them. Instead, you put it in an envelope and give it to the mailman. The mailman takes it to the post office, and then it gets sent to your friend’s house. That’s indirect, the message went through more steps before getting there.

So next time you use someone or something as a middle helper, remember: that's being indirect!Indirect means something happens through another thing, not straight away.

Imagine you're trying to get your favorite toy from across the room. Instead of running all the way there, you ask your big brother to grab it for you. He does, and then brings it back to you. That’s indirect, you used someone else (your brother) to help you get what you wanted.