戻す

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 戻す is read as もどす and is a transitive verb for returning an object, position, display, or state to an earlier place or time.
• Basic usage: Mark the object with を, the destination with に, and an earlier time with a phrase such as 一時間前に.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Difference from 戻る
  • 戻す is transitive: someone returns something. 戻る is intransitive: a person or thing returns.
• Place and time
  • A book returns to its original location, while clock hands return to an earlier time, so the reference point after に can differ.