Can someone please tell me why it's incorrect to say:
If you give to your child that name.
But you can say:
If you give your child that name.
And
If you give that name to your child,...
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Sign up to join this communityCan someone please tell me why it's incorrect to say:
If you give to your child that name.
But you can say:
If you give your child that name.
And
If you give that name to your child,...
Within the typical word order in English, SVO (Subject+Verb+Object),
an indirect object always comes before the direct object
- She gave the dog (IO) its dinner (DO).
This is the order you expect normally and prepositions are not required. Only if you reverse the order of the objects, you need to use prepositions:
We can often rephrase such sentences with a prepositional phrase using to or for + the recipient. In this case, the direct object usually comes first.
- indirect + direct object:
He always gives the class too much homework.
I never buy her flowers. She’s allergic to them.- direct object + prepositional phrase with to/for:
He always gives too much homework to the class.
I never buy flowers for her. She’s allergic to them. (Cambridge)
If you give to your child that name.
is not necessarily ungrammatical, but it is unidiomatic, especially in such a short sentence, as it was noted in the comments. Nevertheless, you will find to + indirect object before the direct object in complex sentences, for the sake of avoiding ambiguity between the two objects:
That same spring Congress passed the National Defense Act that increased the number of personnel authorized in the Aviation Section from 60 to 148 officers and gave to the President (IO) the power to establish the enlisted strength (DO). (source)