On the pattern of N-AV-n-N (subject, action verb, direct object). The pattern is N-AV-n-N (direct object, indirect object, direct object). The “to his parents” is the indirect object. The to is always implied to come after an indirect object, and sometimes omitted. He showed his father his kindness, so the

sentence can be re-worded to omit it.

What are the best ways of teaching an English language learner?