to give to + noun

[allthewayanime]

Can we use after the verb to give the preposition ' to' or is it better off:

e.g.I want to give to my parents a great Christmas present.

[bhaisahab]

Can we use after the verb to give the preposition ' to' or is it better off:

e.g.I want to give to my parents a great Christmas present.

Don't use it.

[allthewayanime]

But is it correct to use the' to' in the passive form?

e.g. The salary has been given to John.

[Barb_D]

It's in the word order.

I gave a present to my sister.
I gave my sister a present.

When you move the indirect object immediately after the verb (in the active voice), you eliminate the "to."

Yes, in the passive, you use the "to." A gift was given to John.

(We don't "give" people salaries, so your sentence isn't very natural.)

[allthewayanime]

Could you tell me which verbs follow this pattern,please?

[5jj]

Those verbs which are used with both a direct and an indirect object, for example:

I wrote a letter to my friend.
I wrote my friend a letter.

The greater the length of the indirect object, the more likely it is to be used with 'to':

I wrote a letter to the girl I met on holiday. .......This is probably more likely than:
I wrote the girl I met on holiday a letter.