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Anintita Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

For vs. To

What's the difference between for and to in terms of usage?

For example
I bought this gift to Helen. or
I bought this gift for Helen

Statue of liberty was given by France for America. or
Statue of liberty was given by France to America

Is there any rule to describe this?

Thank you.
  

Top answer

Anintita I bought this gift to Helen. The destination of the gift (where the gift ended its journey) was at the person named Helen. Anintita I bought this gift for Helen The person who would use the gift or benefit from it is a person named Helen.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Anintita I bought this gift to Helen.
  • The destination of the gift (where the gift ended its journey) was at the person named Helen.
  • Anintita I bought this gift for Helen The person who would use the gift or benefit from it is a person named Helen.
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2 Answers
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AnintitaI bought this gift to Helen.
The destination of the gift (where the gift ended its journey) was at the person named Helen.
AnintitaI bought this gift for Helen
The person who would use the gift or benefit from it is a person named Helen.
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AnintitaWhat's the difference between for and to in terms of usage? ... Is there any rule to describe this?
There is no rule. There are only lists of ditransitive verbs, i.e., verbs which take both an indirect object and a direct object.
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There are two major categories of ditransitive verbs. Some ditr
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