• TO And FOR

TO And FOR

The prepositions to and for are very easy to confuse! Here are some rules:

• Use TO In These Cases:
  • Destination (Đích đến): “We’re going to Paris.”
  • What time it is: “It’s a quarter to 2.”
  • Distance (Khoảng cách): “It’s about ten miles from my house to the university.”
  • Comparing (So sánh): “I prefer sleeping to working.”
  • Giving (Đưa/Trao/Tặng: “I gave the book to my sister.”
  • Motive/Reason (Động cơ/Lý do) – with verb: “I came here to see you.”
• Use FOR In These Cases:
  • Benefits (Những lợi ích): “Yogurt is good for your digestion.”
  • Period of time (Khoảng thời gian): “We’ve lived here for 2 years.”
  • Schedule (Lịch trình): “I made an appointment for May 3.”
  • Agree with (Đồng ý): “Are you for or against the development of nuclear weapons?”
  • Doing something to help someone: “Could you carry these books for me?”
  • Motive/Reason (Động cơ/Lý do) – with noun: “Let’s go out for a drink.”
  • Function (Chức năng) – with verb (-ing form): “A ladle is a big spoon used for serving soup.”

As you can see in #6, TO or FOR can be used for a motive/reason, but TO is always with a verb, and FOR is always with a noun. Here’s a good example:

• I came to New York to work.
• I came to New York for a new job.