OFFER


Meaning of OFFER in English

verb

1

BAD : Her parents have offered me to go on holiday with them.

GOOD : Her parents have invited me to go on holiday with them.

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offer to do sth = express willingness to do something: 'She's offered to help me.'

invite sb to (do) sth = ask someone if they would like to come to a party, wedding, etc, or join you in a social activity: 'Have you invited Mark and Valerie to the party?'

2

BAD : The old man then offered something to eat to the little boy.

GOOD : The old man then offered the little boy something to eat.

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The usual pattern is offer sb sth ( offer + indirect object + direct object): 'He offered me a job.' 'They've offered Maria a place on the intermediate course.'

Use offer something to someone only when the direct object is a pronoun or is much shorter than the indirect object: 'She offered it to George but he didn't want it.' 'I offered the apple to the first child that could answer my question.'

Longman Common Errors English vocabulary.      Английский словарь распространенных ошибок Longman.