hand back — return something to the person who gave it to you
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to give something back to the person who gave it to you, especially after you have finished using it or when you no longer need it.
Say it like a native
Textbook Please return the document to me once completed.
Native Just hand it back when you're done.
'Hand back' is the natural verb for returning something passed to you. 'Return the document to me' is formal.
Pattern: hand something back (to someone)
In use
- After checking our homework, the teacher handed back our notebooks.study
- In my school, teachers usually hand back our test papers the following week so we can see our mistakes.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The teacher handed back us the tests.
✓ The teacher handed the tests back to us. / The teacher handed us back the tests.
With two objects, say 'hand the tests back to us'. Don't put 'us' straight after 'handed back'.
Common collocations
hand back— the keys, the papers, your badge, the form
Don't confuse it
'Give back' is more general, while 'hand back' often suggests a physical action of passing something directly to someone.