Are You Confused About the Prepositions 'To' and 'For'?
I hear many of you on Skype saying things like, 'I am going to a party this weekend for enjoying myself.' 'I need classes for to learn English' and so on. Let me help you with this.
When you are saying the reason that you are doing something, 'for' or 'to' can both be used. That's why it can be easy for learners to mix these two up. There is a simple way to decide which to use though. Look at these two sentences:
I went to the beach for a swim.
I went to the beach to swim.
Before a verb you use 'to' and before a noun you use 'for'. It's that simple. Have a go at practising this in the following sentences.
We always go to the market ___ buy fresh fruit. (for/to)
He said we should go to the supermarket ___ oranges. (for/to)
I love ___ go to the beach at weekends. (for/to)
I want ___ get a new car. (for/to)
I'm going shopping ___ a new dress. (for/to)
When you are saying that you would like something, this is again a situation where both 'for' or 'to' can be used. Take a look at these sentences:
I asked her for the money she owed me.
I asked her to give me the money she owed me.
In the first example, we use 'for' as it is before a noun. In the second example, we use 'to' as it is before the verb. Do you see how simple this is now? Have a go at practising this in the following sentences.
She told me ___ bring the car. (to/for)
She asked me ___ my car. (to/for)
I asked him ___ give me my shoes. (to/for)
I asked him ___ my shoes. (to/for)
When you are saying that you are giving something to someone, again, 'for' or 'to' can both be used. Once more, there is a simple way to decide which one to use. Look at these sentences:
He gave a gift to me.
He sent a gift to me.
He sold a gift to me.
He made a gift for me.
When we use 'gave', 'sent' or 'sold' we use the preposition 'to'. This is because the item moves. Whereas, with 'made' there is no movement, therefore, we use 'for'. Let's practise:
I made the card ___ my mum. (for/to)
She gave her car ___ him. (for/to)
He sold his house ___ me. (for/to)
My mum made a cake ___ me. (for/to)
Here are some other situations when we use 'to':
Distance. E.g. It is about two miles to the city center.
Destination. E.g. I am going to Spain tomorrow.
Comparing. E.g. I prefer Spanish to English.
Time. E.g. It's five to ten.
Here are some other situations when we use 'for':
Plans. E.g. I've booked a class for Wednesday.
Periods of time. E.g. I've been studying English for ten years.
If something is beneficial (or not). E.g. Smoking is not good for you.
Being helpful. E.g. Can I do that for you?
Function with an 'ing' verb. E.g. mountains are there for climbing.
Please remember that in English, there are always exceptions to the rules! However, now you have some guidelines and you can start practising. I'm working on making some free worksheets for you guys to practise on. Comment below with some more examples and I will give you feedback.
Did you see the blog post about giving a presentation? Find it here.
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Sarah
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Good luck with your English!
Sarah x