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KrumetoName ____________________Date __________

Verbs with two objects: give him a book, give a book to him

A2 · 40 exercises

The rule in short

Give Anna the keys or give the keys to Anna: the two word orders, when to use to and when for, what changes with it and them, and verbs like explain that do not put the person first.

PatternFormExample
person firstverb + person + thingTom sent his sister a message.
with toverb + thing + to + personTom sent a message to his sister.
with forverb + thing + for + personTom bought a present for his sister.

In the person-first pattern there is no to or for. When the thing comes first, the person needs to or for, and the verb decides which one.

PrepositionVerbsExample
to: the thing goes to the persongive, send, show, lend, pass, tell, teach, offer, write, bringlend the car to Tom
for: you do something to help or please the personbuy, make, get, cook, find, bookbook a room for Anna

Bring can take both: Tom brought the letter to me (he carried it to me), Tom brought some cake for me (it was a present for me).

It and them. When the thing is it or them, the safe choice is the pattern with to or for: Give it to her. I bought them for Tom. You may hear give her it or give it her in informal British speech, but in writing and in careful speech use give it to her. To + person does not come before it: give to her it is wrong.

Pronoun forms. Both objects come after the verb, so a pronoun takes the object form: give him, show us, buy them. More about these forms is in the lesson on subject and object pronouns.

Verbs that do not put the person first. Explain, describe, say and suggest never take the person straight after the verb without to: use thing + to + person. You explain the rule to someone, describe a place to someone, suggest a film to someone. Learners often say explain me, but English does not allow it. When the thing is long, for example how it works or what you need, to + person can come first: Can you explain to me how it works?

Tell and say. Tell takes the person straight after it: tell Anna the news, tell me your plan. Say does not: you say something, or say something to someone. The lesson say, tell, speak or talk shows the whole picture. Other verbs have their own fixed prepositions, for example thank someone for something; see verbs with prepositions.

Questions with who. In a question, to or for usually stays at the end: Who did you give the keys to? Who is this cake for?

Later, in the passive, the person can become the subject: Anna was given the keys.

Examples

  • Anna gave Tom a book for his birthday.
  • Could you pass me the salt, please?
  • Tom showed his holiday photos to everyone at work.
  • My grandmother taught me this recipe.
  • Anna sent a postcard to her old teacher.
  • Tom cooked dinner for us last night.
  • Can you buy me a ticket too?
  • I've got Anna's keys. I'll give them to her tomorrow.
  • The teacher explained the new words to the class.
  • The company offered Anna a job, and Tom told us the news at lunch.

Lesson: “Verbs with two objects: give him a book, give a book to him” (A2), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/verbs-with-two-objects · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com

KrumetoVerbs with two objects: give him a book, give a book to himName ____________________

Exercises

A. Choose to or for.

Tom passed the bread ___ Anna. → to

  1. I sent a long email ________ my teacher, and she answered the next day. (to / for)
  2. Tom made a sandwich ________ his little brother. (to / for)
  3. Can you lend your dictionary ________ Anna? She forgot hers. (to / for)
  4. Anna booked a room ________ her parents at a small hotel. (to / for)
  5. On the bus, Tom offered his seat ________ an old woman. (to / for)
  6. My dad cooked a big breakfast ________ all of us on Sunday. (to / for)

B. Choose the right words.

  1. Tom ________ when she was ten. (gave Anna a bike / gave to Anna a bike / gave a bike Anna)
  2. The teacher ________ again. (explained us the exercise / explained the exercise to us / explained to us the exercise)
  3. I don't have Tom's address. Can you ________? (send it to me / send to me it / send me to it)
  4. Tom ________ at dinner. (said us a story about his trip / told us a story about his trip / told to us a story about his trip)

C. Complete the sentences with the word in brackets. Add to or for only if the sentence needs it.

Tom needs a pen. Can you give ___ one? (he) → him

  1. It's Anna's birthday on Friday. I'm going to make ________ a cake. (she)
  2. This is Tom's jacket. Can you give it ________? (he)
  3. I can't find my glasses. Can you find them ________? (I)
  4. Our car is broken, so Tom is going to lend ________ his car for the weekend. (we)
  5. The children are hungry. I'll cook ________ some pasta. (they)

D. Write each sentence again. The words in brackets say which pattern to use.

  1. Anna lent her umbrella to Tom. (person first)
  2. I'll make a cup of tea for you. (person first)
  3. Tom bought his parents a new TV. (use to or for)
  4. Tom wrote his grandmother a long letter. (use to or for)
  5. Can you get me a glass of water? (use to or for)

E. Write each sentence again. Change the words in italics to it or them, and use to or for.

  1. I gave Tom the tickets.
  2. Anna sent me the photo.
  3. We bought Anna these flowers.
  4. Can you show Tom the map?

F. Put the words in order. Use all the words.

  1. sister / a / the / of / I / sent / photo / sea / my
  2. explained / teacher / the / the / problem / Anna / to
  3. (question) can / new / show / me / your / you / flat
  4. table / parents / my / booked / for / a / we

G. Correct the mistakes. Change only what is wrong. Two of the sentences are already right: keep them as they are.

  1. Can you describe me your new house?
  2. Tom wants to buy for Anna some flowers.
  3. What did you say him?
  4. Tom suggested a good restaurant to us.
  5. Anna wants to show he her new bike.
  6. Could you get me a newspaper on your way home?
  7. Anna gave to me her old laptop.

H. Match the questions and the answers.

    1. Where's my bike? ____
    2. What did you get Anna for her birthday? ____
    3. Did you tell Tom the news? ____
    4. Have you got the photos from the trip? ____
    5. Is this the book you wanted? ____
    1. a) Yes, thanks. Can you lend it to me?
    2. b) Yes, I'll send them to you tonight.
    3. c) I bought her a scarf.
    4. d) I lent it to Tom.
    5. e) Yes, I told him this morning.
KrumetoVerbs with two objects: give him a book, give a book to himAnswer key

Answer key

A. To when the thing goes to the person: give, send, show, lend, pass, tell, teach, offer, write, bring. For when you do something to help or please the person: buy, make, get, cook, find, book.

  1. to
  2. for
  3. to
  4. for
  5. to
  6. for

B. Person + thing (give Anna the keys) or thing + to/for + person (give the keys to Anna). In sentences like these, to/for + person comes after the thing. Explain, describe, say and suggest never take the person first without to: use thing + to + person (with a long thing, to + person can come first).

  1. gave Anna a bike
  2. explained the exercise to us
  3. send it to me
  4. told us a story about his trip

C. After the verb, use the object form: me, him, her, us, them. Person first: no to or for (make her a cake). Person after the thing: add to or for (give them to him).

  1. her
  2. to him
  3. for me
  4. us
  5. them

D. Person first: verb + person + thing (lend Tom the car). With to or for: verb + thing + to/for + person (lend the car to Tom).

  1. Anna lent Tom her umbrella.
  2. I'll make you a cup of tea.
  3. Tom bought a new TV for his parents.
  4. Tom wrote a long letter to his grandmother.
  5. Can you get a glass of water for me?

E. When the thing is it or them, the safe pattern is verb + it/them + to/for + person: give it to Tom, buy them for Anna.

  1. I gave them to Tom.
  2. Anna sent it to me.
  3. We bought them for Anna.
  4. Can you show it to Tom?

F. Subject + verb + person + thing, or subject + verb + thing + to/for + person. In a question, can comes before the subject.

  1. I sent my sister a photo of the sea.
  2. Anna explained the problem to the teacher. / The teacher explained the problem to Anna.
  3. Can you show me your new flat?
  4. We booked a table for my parents. / For my parents, we booked a table.

G. Person + thing, or thing + to/for + person. Explain, describe, say and suggest: never the person first without to; use thing + to + person. Tell takes the person straight after it. After the verb, use me, him, her, us, them.

  1. Can you describe your new house to me? / Can you describe your new house for me?
  2. Tom wants to buy Anna some flowers. / Tom wants to buy some flowers for Anna.
  3. What did you say to him? / What did you tell him?
  4. Tom suggested a good restaurant to us. (✓) — This is right: suggest takes the thing first, then to + the person.
  5. Anna wants to show him her new bike. / Anna wants to show her new bike to him.
  6. Could you get me a newspaper on your way home? (✓) — This is right: the person (me) comes straight after get, with no for.
  7. Anna gave me her old laptop. / Anna gave her old laptop to me.

H. Use it for one thing and them for more than one, then to or for + the person: I lent it to Tom. Or put the person first: I bought her a scarf.

  1. 1 d · 2 c · 3 e · 4 b · 5 a

Lesson: “Verbs with two objects: give him a book, give a book to him” (A2), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/verbs-with-two-objects · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com

Verbs with two objects: give him a book, give a book to him — worksheet | Krumeto