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254
Bring the man his things.
I told her everything.
They did not show him what it was.
Some verbs of benefaction can take an infinitive or a gerund as their direct object.
Help me (to) do it.
She promised me to be punctual.
Miss Craggs taught them singing.
If the indirect recipient object is attached to a verb of inducement, the direct object can only be an infinitive
or an infinitive phrase.
She asked him to come to dinner.
When attached to verbs of benefaction, the indirect recipient object may sometimes be used alone, that is,
without a following direct object. This occurs:
a) Where it is attached to the predicate verb in the passive.
At last the check was given her and she left.
b) After the verbs to answer, to ask, to envy, to forgive, to help, to teach.
She used to teach me once.
I’ve helped you all my life.
Note:
The indirect recipient object may also be used alone after the verbs to read, to explain, to dictate, to spell, to
sing, to write, but in the case of the first five it always takes the preposition to, whereas with to write both
forms are possible.
Why do you never read to me now?
Will she sing to us tonight?
At first she wrote to him twice a week.
Write me back as soon as you get the cable.
When attached to verbs of inducement, the indirect recipient object can never be used alone.
Form and position
of the
indirect recipient objects
§ 75. As to their form and position the following cases must be distinguished:
1. If the indirect recipient object is attached to a verb of inducement, it is always non-prepositional and has a
fixed position in the sentence just before the direct object.
Mother ordered me to get down.
He urged her to write a story about it.
2. If it is attached to the verbs of benefaction to announce, to ascribe, to attribute, to communicate, to
contribute, to dedicate, to dictate, to disclose, to explain, to interpret, to introduce, to open, to point out, to
repeat, to submit, to suggest, it is always prepositional and has two possible positions in the sentence, either
before the direct object or after it. In both cases it is governed by the preposition to. It usually precedes the
direct object if the latter is modified by an attribute.
He dictated the letter to his secretary.