ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hand back

phr. v..
A2 Elementary Oxford General-service

phr. v.. to return something to the person who gave it to you or who owns it.

phr. v.. to return an object to its original possessor or to the person who distributed it; often used in educational or administrative contexts.


SIMPLE

Please hand back your tests at the end of the lesson.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher will hand back our graded essays on Monday morning.

COMPLEX

After the security guard finished inspecting the passport, he handed it back to the traveler with a nod of approval.

Particles
back
Separability
optional
Pattern
hand + (object) + back
Usage

usually used with physical objects like papers, books, or identification.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'give back'; 'hand back' often implies a more formal distribution and collection process, like in a classroom or office.

Pitfall

He handed back it to me.He handed it back to me.when the object is a pronoun like 'it', it must go between the verb and the particle.

© 2026 English Reference