student asking question

What is the difference between "give this to her" and "give her this"? How do you decide which one to use?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Give this to her" and "give her this" have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably, however, you can choose which one is more appropriate to use based on the context of the situation. "Give this to her" puts emphasis on the "giving" action, while "give her this" puts emphasis on the object that is "this". Ex: I heard it's your sister's birthday, can you give this to her? It's a birthday present. Ex: Give her this, it's cold medicine and it will make her feel better.

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