Many English verbs describe an action that involves two things: something that is given, told, sent or made, and someone who receives it. These verbs can take a direct object (the thing) and an indirect object (the recipient or beneficiary), and English allows the two objects to be arranged in two different word orders. This flexibility is called dative alternation.
The Two Patterns
Compare the same information expressed both ways:
- Pattern 1 (double object): Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object — She gave her sister a gift. He told me a story.
- Pattern 2 (prepositional dative): Verb + Direct Object + to/for + Indirect Object — She gave a gift to her sister. He told a story to me.
Both sentences in each pair mean the same thing and are equally grammatical. The choice between them depends on length, emphasis and the type of object involved, not on meaning.
Verbs That Use "to"
These verbs describe transferring something to a recipient, and use to in Pattern 2: give, tell, send, show, offer, teach, lend, pay, promise, write, read, sell, hand, throw, pass.
- The teacher gave the students their results. / The teacher gave their results to the students.
- Can you pass me the salt? / Can you pass the salt to me?
- I sent my colleague the report. / I sent the report to my colleague.
Verbs That Use "for"
These verbs describe doing something on behalf of a beneficiary, and use for in Pattern 2: buy, get, make, cook, find, book, order, build, fetch, pour, choose, save, reserve.
- He bought his mum some flowers. / He bought some flowers for his mum.
- I'll make you a coffee. / I'll make a coffee for you.
- She found her brother a job. / She found a job for her brother.
| Group | Preposition in Pattern 2 | Verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer verbs | to | give, tell, send, show, offer, teach, lend, pay, promise, write, read, sell, hand, throw, pass |
| Benefactive verbs | for | buy, get, make, cook, find, book, order, build, fetch, pour, choose, save, reserve |
| To-only verbs (no double object) | to (obligatory) | explain, describe, suggest, say, announce, demonstrate, admit, mention, introduce, recommend |
Choosing a Pattern: Length, Pronouns and Emphasis
1. Length: put long or new information last
When the indirect object is long, or introduces new information, it usually goes at the end, after to/for, rather than squeezed into the middle of the sentence.
- Natural: She gave a gift to the woman who had just moved in next door.
- Awkward: She gave the woman who had just moved in next door a gift.
2. Pronouns: prefer Pattern 2 when the direct object is a pronoun
When the direct object is a pronoun (it, them), Pattern 2 with to/for is strongly preferred in standard English.
- Correct: Give it to me. Unusual in most varieties: Give me it. (more acceptable in some British dialects, but not the standard pattern to teach)
- Correct: Can you pass them to her? Avoid: Can you pass her them?
3. Emphasis: the last position gets more focus
The element placed at the end of the sentence often carries more emphasis or "new information" weight. Compare:
- I gave John the keys. (focus on the keys — what John received)
- I gave the keys to John. (focus on John — who received them, useful if there were several possible recipients)
Quick rule of thumb: If the recipient is a short pronoun (me, him, her, us), Pattern 1 usually sounds most natural: Give me it becomes Give it to me, but Tell me the answer is fine. If the direct object is the pronoun, switch to Pattern 2.
Verbs That Never Take a Double Object
A small but very important group of verbs describes giving information but does not allow Pattern 1 at all. With these verbs, to or for is always required before the recipient: explain, describe, suggest, say, announce, demonstrate, admit, mention, introduce, recommend.
- Wrong: Explain me the problem. Correct: Explain the problem to me.
- Wrong: Describe me the house. Correct: Describe the house to me.
- Wrong: Suggest me a restaurant. Correct: Suggest a restaurant to me. / Can you recommend a restaurant to me?
Common Mistakes
-
Using explain/describe/suggest with a double object: This is one of the most frequent ESL errors, especially for learners whose first language allows a double-object pattern with equivalent verbs.
Wrong: Please explain me this exercise.
Correct: Please explain this exercise to me. -
Mixing up "to" and "for": transfer verbs (give, send, tell) take
to; benefactive verbs (buy, make, find) takefor.
Wrong: He bought a present to his wife.
Correct: He bought a present for his wife. -
Keeping a pronoun direct object in Pattern 1:
Unnatural: Can you give me them?
Correct: Can you give them to me? -
Burying a long indirect object in the middle of the sentence:
Awkward: I sent the man who called yesterday about the invoice an email.
Correct: I sent an email to the man who called yesterday about the invoice.
Practice Tips
Test with a pronoun: If you are unsure which pattern sounds right, mentally replace the direct object with "it" or "them." If the double-object version sounds wrong ("Give me it"), that's a strong sign you should default to the to/for pattern in general writing.
- Sort your verb lists: Make three columns — "to" verbs, "for" verbs, and "to-only" verbs — and quiz yourself on which group a new verb belongs to.
- Rewrite both ways: Take one sentence and produce both patterns, then decide which sounds more natural given the length and focus of each object.
- Flag the danger verbs: Circle every use of explain, describe, suggest, say, announce, demonstrate, admit, mention, introduce and recommend in your writing and check that a preposition appears before the person.
Practice Exercises
Grammar Quiz
Choose the correct word order or preposition for each double object verb.
Complete the Sentence
Type "to," "for" or nothing needed to complete each sentence correctly.
True or False
Decide whether each double-object sentence is grammatically correct.
Flash Cards
Drill to-verbs, for-verbs and to-only verbs until they're automatic.
Matching Pairs
Match each Pattern 1 sentence to its equivalent Pattern 2 sentence.
Unjumble
Reorder scrambled words into a correctly formed double-object sentence.
Practise Double Object Verbs
LexFizz has free interactive exercises to help you master natural English sentence structure — no sign-up needed. Start practising today.
Browse All Exercises →Explore related grammar topics:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is dative alternation?
Dative alternation is the term for the two word orders that many English verbs allow when they have both a direct object (the thing) and an indirect object (the recipient or beneficiary). For example, "She gave her sister a gift" (double object) and "She gave a gift to her sister" (prepositional dative) mean the same thing and are both correct.
What are the two patterns for double object verbs?
Pattern 1 is the double-object pattern: Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object, as in "He told me a story." Pattern 2 is the prepositional dative: Verb + Direct Object + to/for + Indirect Object, as in "He told a story to me." Both patterns are grammatical for verbs that allow the alternation.
Which verbs use "to" and which use "for"?
Verbs describing a transfer to a recipient use "to": give, tell, send, show, offer, teach, lend, pay, promise, write, read, sell, hand, throw, pass. Verbs describing an action done on someone's behalf use "for": buy, get, make, cook, find, book, order, build, fetch, pour, choose, save, reserve. Memorising which group a verb belongs to prevents mixing up the two prepositions.
Why is "Explain me the problem" wrong?
"Explain" belongs to a small group of verbs — including describe, suggest, say, announce, demonstrate, admit, mention, introduce and recommend — that never allow the double-object pattern. These verbs always require "to" (or occasionally another preposition) before the recipient: "Explain the problem to me," not "Explain me the problem." This is one of the most common errors among ESL learners.
Why is "Describe me the house" incorrect?
Like "explain," the verb "describe" cannot take a double object. It only accepts a direct object followed by "to" plus the recipient: "Describe the house to me." Many learners produce "Describe me the house" by analogy with verbs like "tell" (which does allow a double object: "Tell me about the house"), but "describe" simply does not follow that pattern.
When should I use "Give it to me" instead of "Give me it"?
When the direct object is a pronoun such as "it" or "them," the prepositional pattern with "to" or "for" is strongly preferred in standard English: "Give it to me," "Pass them to her." The double-object version with a pronoun direct object ("Give me it") is unusual in most varieties of English, though it is heard in some British dialects; it is best avoided in general writing and speech.
Does word order affect emphasis in these sentences?
Yes. The element placed at the end of the sentence tends to carry more focus or "new information" weight. "I gave John the keys" emphasises what John received, while "I gave the keys to John" emphasises who received them. Choosing the pattern that puts the more important or newer information last makes a sentence read more naturally.
Why does a long indirect object usually go after "to" or "for"?
When the indirect object is long or introduces detailed new information, English strongly prefers to place it at the end, after "to" or "for," rather than squeezing it into the middle of the sentence. "She gave a gift to the woman who had just moved in next door" sounds far more natural than "She gave the woman who had just moved in next door a gift."
Can all verbs with two objects use both patterns?
No. Verbs like give, tell, send, buy and make allow both patterns. But a separate group of verbs — explain, describe, suggest, say, announce, demonstrate, admit, mention, introduce and recommend — only allow the prepositional pattern with "to," and never the double-object pattern. It's important to learn these to-only verbs as a distinct list.
What level is dative alternation typically taught at?
Dative alternation and double object verbs are typically introduced around B1 level, once learners are comfortable with basic sentence structure, and refined at B2 level when learners work on natural word order, emphasis and the important exceptions like explain and describe. It is a common source of errors well beyond B2 because of first-language interference.