Some Basic "to" And "for" Rules

The Prepositions To And For

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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