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flyingrobot
Whether can say "I write to my mother a letter"?
In Chinese, you can say: "我给妈妈写信。" or "我写信给妈妈。" both are correct and have the same meaning.
In English, as I know, can say that, "I write a letter to my mother." but whether can say "I write to my mother a letter"?
Feb 26, 2011 8:09 AM
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Answers · 7
Never!
I wrote my mother a letter.
I wrote a letter to my mother.
February 26, 2011
No, it sounds as if you have started a new sentence halfway through your current sentence: "I write to my mother / A letter..."
Basically, "my mother" is the indirect object, and "a letter" is the direct object. Because you use "TO my mother", this clause must be placed after the direct object.
However, if you drop "to", you then put the indirect object before the direct object: "I write my mother a letter." That's the basic rule of placing indirect objects in a sentence.
You can simply write "I write to my mother" without a direct object in the sentence.
February 26, 2011
You could say it yes for example if you were writing the letter and you friend asks what you are doing, you could reply... I write to my mother a letter about my engagment ( for example)...but however it sounds so so old fashioned, like something out of an old English novel. No one talks like that now.
February 26, 2011
