Some orderings follow an established grammatical or semantic priority. In other circumstances a dependent becomes more urgent because of the speaker’s purpose or the listener’s immediate interest.
If the question is “To whom was it given?”, the recipient deserves prominence. If the live dispute concerns the amount, the gift may need focus. Rhetorical propriety is measured against the occasion, not a rigid preference for one word order.
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Fronting the Object: Correction, Restriction and Ordering of Complements
Some orderings follow an established grammatical or semantic priority. In other circumstances a dependent becomes more urgent because of the speaker’s purpose or the listener’s immediate interest.
If the question is “To whom was it given?”, the recipient deserves prominence. If the live dispute concerns the amount, the gift may need focus. Rhetorical propriety is measured against the occasion, not a rigid preference for one word order.