How much French is in him? At least for the word "think," the French use "penser à" meaning to think about something and "à" is normally translated (though not necessarily correctly) as "to." Of course, if he uses "to" in place of "of" all the time regardless of the word, what I typed is moot.

Enéwé, if you can understand it, I say it's correct. And really something as small as saying "to" in place of "of" isn't something to get ruffled over. Unless it's a matter of pride, and if it is, "of" is correct and "to" is nonsense. I wish those Brits would learn some English (note that this is a joke and is not intended to offend anyone, if it offends you, please unplug yourself from the Internet and never go back on it. Ever.)

I think the "had tied" is largely dependent on the "was pulling." It depends on which message you want to send. I imagine the first way to be used if there's more to the story. If you want to end it on that note, I'd use the second.

Personally, I think if you understand the meaning of the word or if the message gets across then it's a "real" word. I understand it, I see what message you're trying to convey so I say yes.

I was always under the impression that "gift" as a verb was fine, and as porsche said, a more concise word. However, I do agree that it sounds old-fashioned and awkward. I'm also very interested in hearing that it's a "buzzword." Very seldomly do I hear "gift" as a verb, but I'm in a very rural area so it makes me wonder if this is a more urban "buzzword."