hand over
SeparableThe object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: hand OVER. Saying “HAND over” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
Link across the gap. The final /d/ of “hand” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “hand over” is said “han-dover”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.
Verb vs noun
As a noun the stress flips to the front: the verb is hand OVER, the noun is HANDOVER. Same two words, different beat — “to hand OVER” is the action, “a handover” is the thing. Getting this backwards makes the sentence land oddly even when every sound is right.
What it means
To give control or possession of something to someone else.
- “She handed over the keys and left.”
- “He refused to hand over the documents.”
Similar: surrender, relinquish