verb + person + thingCommon with give, send, show, tell, offer, buy, and make. Do not use this pattern with it or them as the thing.
Object Position
B1With two objects, English changes the order: give Maria the book or give the book to Maria. With it/them, use give it to Maria, not give Maria it.
What you'll learn
- Place the thing before the person in the two-object pattern.
- Add to or for when the person comes after the thing.
- Put it or them before the to/for phrase.
- Choose to or for based on the verb.
Structure
verb + thing + to/for + personUse to with transfer verbs like give or send. Use for with benefit verbs like buy or make.
verb + it/them + to/for + personWhen the thing is it or them, place it right after the verb: give it to me, send them to Lisa.
Build a sentence
Verb
Thing
Person
Giveittome
Give it to me.
Put it after the verb, then add to me.
When to use
Giving and sending
Use this pattern when something moves to another person: give, send, show, tell, offer. Anna sent Maria the photo. Anna sent the photo to Maria.
Doing something for someone
Use for with benefit verbs like buy, make, get, and find. Tom bought Lisa coffee. Tom bought coffee for Lisa.
Markers
givesendshowtellofferbuymakeget
Common mistakes
Wrong
Anna sent the file me.
Correct
Anna sent the file to me.
When the thing comes first, add to before the person with send.
Wrong
Tom bought coffee me.
Correct
Tom bought coffee for me.
With buy, the person after the thing needs for.
Wrong
Lisa gave me it.
Correct
Lisa gave it to me.
With it as the thing, use the to-pattern: verb + it + to + person.
Wrong
Give to me it.
Correct
Give it to me.
Put it right after the verb. The person phrase comes later.
Wrong
Maria bought a sandwich to him.
Correct
Maria bought a sandwich for him.
Buy uses for when someone receives the benefit.
Common misconceptions
❝ If give Maria the book is correct, give Maria it is also correct. ❞
Not with it or them as the thing. Say give it to Maria or give them to Maria.
❝ I can choose to or for freely after any verb. ❞
The verb controls the preposition. Give and send use to; buy and make use for.
Skills in this rule (5)
PUT_THING_BEFORE_PERSON_WITH_DOUBLE_OBJECTw5Put the thing before the person in the two-object pattern
With verbs like give, send, show, tell, and offer, use verb + thing + person when both objects come after the verb and there is no preposition.
USE_TO_OR_FOR_WHEN_PERSON_COMES_LASTw5Use to or for when the person comes after the thing
When the thing comes first and the receiver or beneficiary comes after it, add to or for: give it to Maria, buy it for Tom.
PUT_PRONOUN_THING_BEFORE_TO_FOR_PHRASEw5Put it or them before the to/for phrase
Short object pronouns like it and them go right after the verb. Then add the to/for phrase after them: give it to me, send them to Lisa.
CHOOSE_TO_OR_FOR_BY_VERBw4Choose to or for with the right verb
Use to for transfer toward someone: give, send, show, tell. Use for when someone receives a benefit: buy, make, get, find.
RECOGNIZE_COMMON_OBJECT_VERBSw3Recognize common verbs that use this object order
Verbs like give, send, show, tell, offer, buy, make, and get often take a thing and a person. Their order changes depending on whether you use a preposition.