Rules of using prepositions [closed]

1. I am going to present you some news.
2. I am going to present to you some news.

Are both these sentences correct? If they are both correct, then why in the first sentence is there no preposition (to) after a verb (present). I have come across many sentences in this format where to me it appears like a preposition should have been used but I do not know why it is like that.

Solution 1:

There is a general rule in English that bitransitive verbs like give, send, offer, promise, sell, lend, show, tell can have two different syntaxes.

Either

I gave the book to John

or

I gave John the book.

Similarly

I am going to tell some news to you

or

I am going to tell you some news.

However, your chosen verb, "present" does not do this so readily. I think this is because in the sense you are using it, it is not really bitransitive: though it can take a "to" phrase, that's not an essential part of its meaning in the way that it is for give and the other words. You can present a presentation even if nobody is there to see it, whereas you can't give something if there is nobody to give it to.

The same construction occurs with a benefactive "for" phrase, which can be added to many verbs:

John baked a cake for me.

John baked me a cake.

The verb must be transitive, and have an expressed direct object for this to be possible:

John made breakfast for me -> John made me breakfast;

but there is no alternative form for

John cooked for me.