The pair of you have argued about that for years.
He came out and we hugged.
They competed furiously.
These verbs are called reciprocal verbs.
reciprocal verbs with plural subject
3.69 One of the structures in which you use reciprocal verbs is where the two groups are put together in a plural subject and the verb is then used without an object.
Their faces touched.
Their children are always fighting.
They kissed.
emphasizing equal involvement
3.70 When you want to emphasize that both participants are equally involved in the action, you put each other or one another after the verb.
We embraced each other.
They kissed each other in greeting.
They fought each other desperately for it.
The two boys started hitting one another.
Here is a list of reciprocal verbs that are used transitively with the pronouns each other and one another:
consult
cuddle
embrace
engage
fight
hug
kiss
marry
match
meet
touch
With some verbs you need to use a preposition, usually with, in front of each other or one another.
You’ve got to be able to communicate with each other.
Third World countries are competing with each other for a restricted market.
The two actors began to engage with one another.
Here is a list of reciprocal verbs that must be followed by with before the pronouns each other and one another:
agree
alternate
argue
balance
clash
coincide
collide
combine
communicate
conflict
consult
contend
contrast
converse
co-operate
disagree
engage
integrate
mate
merge
mix
quarrel
struggle
Here is a list of verbs that can be used with a preposition other than with:
compete (against)
compete (with)
correspond (to)
correspond (with)
fight (against)
fight (with)
part (from)
relate (to)
separate (from)
talk (to)
talk (with)
Note that consult, engage, and fight can be used either with an object or with a preposition.
showing unequal involvement
3.71 In the examples given above, the speaker or writer believes that both people or groups are equally involved in the event, because both are the subject. However, the user may want to focus on one person more than the other. In this case, a noun that refers to that person is put in subject position.
If the verb can be used with an object, a noun referring to the other participant is used as the object of the verb.
He embraced her.
She married a young engineer.
You could meet me at a restaurant.
He is responsible for killing many people.
If the verb needs a preposition after it, the other noun is used as the object of the preposition.
Our return coincided with the arrival of bad weather.
Youths clashed with police in Belfast.
The distribution of aid corresponds to need.
3.72 People sometimes make one person or group the subject when the event is a violent or unpleasant one, in order to make them appear aggressive or responsible for the violence. For example, the headline Police clash with youths might suggest that the police were responsible for the clash, even though the youths also clashed with the police.
Paul collided with a large man in a sweat-stained shirt.
The role of worker conflicts with the role of parent.
She liked him even when she was quarrelling with him.
Verbs that can have two objects: give someone something
3.73 Sometimes you may want to talk about an event that involves someone in addition to the people or things that are the subject and object of the clause. This third participant is someone who benefits from the action or receives something as a result. They become the indirect object of the clause. The direct object, as usual, is the person or thing that something is done to. For example, in I gave John a book, John is the indirect object and the book is the direct object.
The indirect object is put immediately after the verb, in front of the direct object.
Dad gave me a car.
Can you pass me the sugar please?
She brought me a boiled egg and toast.
He had lent Tim the money.
A man promised him a job.
The distraction provided us a chance to relax. (Am)
indirect objects in phrases that begin with a preposition
3.74 Instead of putting the indirect object in front of the direct object, it is possible to put it in a phrase beginning with to or for that comes after the direct object.
He handed his room key to the receptionist.
Ralph passed a message to Jack.
He gave it to me.
This structure is used particularly in cases where you want to focus on the indirect object. You can use it, for example, when the indirect object is significantly longer than the direct object.
He had taught English to all the youth of Ceylon and India.
He copied the e-mail to every single one of his staff.
pronouns as objects
3.75 It is normal to use this prepositional structure when the direct object is a pronoun such as it or them.
I took the bottle and offered it to Oakley.
Woodward finished the second page and passed it to the editor.
It was the only pound he had and he gave it to the little boy.
God has sent you to me.