http://www.englishforums.com/English/BasicEnglishGrammarQuestions/Forum43.htmFor Basic English ONLY. Please post only <b><font color=red>easy</font></b> questions and answers here.enXMOD (Build: 3616.28671)http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichOneIsCorrect/vplxh/post.htm#411296Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:59:57 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:411296Feebs110http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichOneIsCorrect/vplxh/post.htm#411296http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments43-411296.xmlUser_gary wrote: Please explain to me what the sentence means. Please explain what the sentence means to me. Which one is correct? They are both grammatically correct. The first tells is asking for an explanation to be given to you about the content of the sentence. The second is asking for an explanation of what you feel about the sentence.http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichOneIsCorrect/vplxh/post.htm#411248Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:59:57 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:411248TeeShane1http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichOneIsCorrect/vplxh/post.htm#411248http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments43-411248.xmlI will have to agree with Tanit here. Both sentences make sense and have meaning, they are just asking slightly different questions. In the first sentence, " Please explain to me what the sentence means ," I hear someone wanting to know what the sentence means - in general. In the second sentence, " Please explain what the sentence means to me ," I hear someone wanting to know what it should mean to them specifically, "what should it tell me " ... I could ask, "Explain (to me) what 'car' means." The answer would be, "a vehicle moving on wheels," according to Merriam-Webster. Then, to be asked, "Explain what 'car' means to me." I would say, car means freedom, or a way for me to get to work and back. Hope this is of some help to...http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichOneIsCorrect/vplxh/post.htm#411224Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:59:57 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:411224Tanit2http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichOneIsCorrect/vplxh/post.htm#411224http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments43-411224.xmlI think you need the first one. To me, the second one can have a completely different meaning, where "to me" goes with "means": you might be asking somebody (say, John) to explain to somebody else (say, Mary) your understanding of a sentence. However, I wouldn't see any ambiguity if instead of "what the sentence means" you had another object (as, for instance, in "Please explain the task to the students"). If I were you, I'd wait for a more reliable source.http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichOneIsCorrect/vplxh/post.htmFri, 27 Feb 2009 07:59:57 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:411203User_gary3http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichOneIsCorrect/vplxh/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments43-411203.xmlPlease explain to me what the sentence means. Please explain what the sentence means to me. Which one is correct?