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The
Prepositions To And For
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All
prepositions have some root meaning, but are idiomatic in various
forms. This occurs because prepositions paint a kind of mental
picture in the mind of the listener, that can change based on
historical and cultural and grammatical contexts.
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To:
“To”
is used with verbs. Generally,
“to” indicates a specific,
directed
action, and
can indicate purpose, in that sense.
1.
Used before
second infinitives (acting
like and adjective or adverbial phrase).
He
remembered to take his medicine.
2.
Used after
verbs of motion,
and saying verbs.
They
both ran to the other side of the road.
He
went to work in the morning.
He
spoke his mind to her during the conversation.
Examples
with both:
She
wanted to go to her favorite restaurant.
He
forgot to mention to her to bring the money.
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For:
“For”
is not used before verbs. It has a broader, less specific sense
than “to.” “For”
indicates a reason, cause, or purpose most of the time, but can
be used to show benefit, or substitution of the actor. It can also
be used with time expressions to show duration of time.
1. Used
before gerunds, acting as adjectives and adverbs.
He
loved to use a typewriter for writing term papers.
2. Used
before nouns and pronouns to indicate the objective case.
If
it weren't for my bad knee, I would do that for him.
He
studies hard for his University program.
3. Used
to show duration of time.
She
has been the president for four years.
That
problem might continue for another 10 years.
4. Can
be used to replace “because.” (This is becoming an archaic
usage.)
They
let me be the lead singer, for I was the best at it.
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Look at these two examples to
get a clearer idea of the root meanings of “to” and “for.”
1. He travels to work every
two weeks. (This indicates that work is where he goes. It's the
direction of the action.)
2. He travels for work
every two weeks. (This indicates that he gets paid to travel.
It's the purpose for his travel.)
