English lets you say "I gave her the book" and "I gave the book to her" and mean exactly the same thing, two different word orders, both completely correct. This flexibility is genuinely useful once you understand the pattern, but it trips learners up constantly when they mix the two structures together incorrectly.
2. Quick Summary
⚡ Indirect Object Word Order at a Glance
Pattern 1Verb + indirect object + direct object: I gave her the book.
Pattern 2Verb + direct object + to/for + indirect object: I gave the book to her.
Choosing to vs forGiving/telling verbs use "to"; doing-something-for-someone verbs use "for"
Common Mistake"Explain me it" instead of "Explain it to me"
3. The Two Word Order Patterns
Pattern
Structure
Example
Double object
Verb + indirect object + direct object
I gave her the book. She sent me a message.
Prepositional
Verb + direct object + to/for + indirect object
I gave the book to her. She sent a message to me.
💡
When the prepositional pattern is required
When the indirect object is a pronoun and you want to place it after the direct object for emphasis or clarity, the preposition becomes necessary: "Give it to her," not "Give it her."
4. Verbs That Use "To"
Verbs of giving, sending or communicating something to someone generally use "to" in the prepositional pattern.
Verb
Example
give
I gave the keys to my brother.
send
She sent the email to her manager.
show
He showed the photos to us.
tell
I told the truth to her.
pass
Could you pass the salt to me?
lend
I lent my car to a friend.
5. Verbs That Use "For"
Verbs describing an action done on someone's behalf generally use "for" in the prepositional pattern.
Verb
Example
make
I made a cake for my mum.
buy
She bought a gift for her friend.
cook
He cooked dinner for the whole family.
find
I found a solution for the client.
get
Can you get a coffee for me?
6. Verbs That Only Use the "To" Pattern
A small group of verbs never take the double-object pattern, they always need "to," even with a pronoun.
❌ Incorrect
✅ Correct
Explain me the problem.
Explain the problem to me.
Describe me the room.
Describe the room to me.
Suggest me a restaurant.
Suggest a restaurant to me.
⚠️
Explain, describe and suggest are exceptions
Even though "explain" behaves like "tell" in meaning, it never takes a double object. Always use "explain something to someone," never "explain someone something."
7. Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect
✅ Correct
Why
Give it her.
Give it to her. / Give her it.
When both objects are pronouns, the "to" pattern is more natural in modern English.
Explain me the situation.
Explain the situation to me.
"Explain" only uses the to-pattern, never the double-object pattern.
I made for her a cake.
I made a cake for her. / I made her a cake.
The "for" phrase goes after the direct object, not before it.
8. Exercises
A. Gap Fill — Rewrite using the alternative pattern (8 questions)
1. I gave her the book. → I gave the book ___ her.
2. She bought a gift for him. → She bought ___ a gift.
3. He sent me a letter. → He sent a letter ___ me.
4. I made a cake for my sister. → I made ___ a cake.
5. Explain it ___ me. (only correct pattern)
6. Could you pass the salt ___ me?
7. She showed the photos ___ us.
8. I found a solution ___ the client.
Show Answers (A)
1. to 2. him 3. to 4. my sister 5. to 6. to 7. to 8. for
B. Multiple Choice (5 questions)
1. Please ___ the problem to me. (a) explain (b) tell
2. I bought a present ___ my mum. (a) to (b) for
3. She sent the file ___ me. (a) to (b) for
4. ___ me the situation. (a) Explain (b) Tell
5. He cooked dinner ___ us. (a) to (b) for
Show Answers (B)
1.a 2.b 3.a 4.b 5.b
C. Error Correction (4 questions)
1. Give it her.
2. Explain me the situation.
3. I made for her a cake.
4. Describe me the room.
Show Answers (C)
1. Give it to her. 2. Explain the situation to me. 3. I made a cake for her. 4. Describe the room to me.
D. Freer Practice — Write Your Own Sentences (2 tasks)
1. Write a sentence using the double-object pattern with "give" or "send."
2. Write a sentence using "explain" correctly.
Show Answers (D)
Model answers will vary. Examples: 1. "I sent my colleague the report this morning." 2. "Could you explain the rules to me again?"
9. Mini Quiz
10. Exam Focus — Cambridge, IELTS, SELT
Exam
How This Is Tested
Sample Question
Cambridge B1 Preliminary / B2 First
Key word transformations often test rewriting between the two object patterns.
Rewrite: "She gave the present to her friend" using "gave her."
IELTS Writing
Natural, varied sentence structure with double-object verbs is a marker of range in Writing Task 2.
Using "offered them advice" naturally rather than always the prepositional form.
Trinity GESE/ISE (SELT)
Everyday verbs like give, send and show come up constantly in conversation about daily life.
"I sent my mum some photos yesterday" used naturally.
11. Frequently Asked Questions
The person or thing that receives the direct object, the person something is given, told, or sent to: in "I gave her the book," "her" is the indirect object and "the book" is the direct object.
Verb + indirect object + direct object (I gave her the book), or verb + direct object + to/for + indirect object (I gave the book to her). Both are correct.
When the indirect object is a pronoun and comes after the direct object, or whenever you want to emphasise or clarify who receives something, especially in writing.
Verbs of giving/communicating generally use "to" (give, tell, send, show); verbs of doing something on someone's behalf generally use "for" (make, buy, cook, find).
No, a small group of verbs like "explain," "describe" and "suggest" only use the to-pattern: "explain it to me," never "explain me it."
Indirectly, natural, accurate word order with everyday verbs like give, send and show is expected at every level above the most basic.
📅 Ready to Master Word Order — and Every Other Grammar Point?
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