Infinitive of purpose ''for '' and ''to''

Question

Hi Teacher;What is the difference between for and to? grammatical difference and meaning difference ??Thank You

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

.
Too broad a question to treat here, merve. Both words have many, many uses:

FOR:

–preposition

1.	with the object or purpose of: to run for exercise.

2.	intended to belong to, or be used in connection with: equipment for the army; a closet for dishes.

3.	suiting the purposes or needs of: medicine for the aged.

4.	in order to obtain, gain, or acquire: a suit for alimony; to work for wages.

5.	(used to express a wish, as of something to be experienced or obtained): O, for a cold drink!

6.	sensitive or responsive to: an eye for beauty.

7.	desirous of: a longing for something; a taste for fancy clothes.

8.	in consideration or payment of; in return for: three for a dollar; to be thanked for one's efforts.

9.	appropriate or adapted to: a subject for speculation; clothes for winter.

10.	with regard or respect to: pressed for time; too warm for April.

11.	during the continuance of: for a long time.

12.	in favor of; on the side of: to be for honest government.

13.	in place of; instead of: a substitute for butter.

14.	in the interest of; on behalf of: to act for a client.

15.	in exchange for; as an offset to: blow for blow; money for goods.

16.	in punishment of: payment for the crime.

17.	in honor of: to give a dinner for a person.

18.	with the purpose of reaching: to start for London.

19.	contributive to: for the advantage of everybody.

20.	in order to save: to flee for one's life.

21.	in order to become: to train recruits for soldiers.

22.	in assignment or attribution to: an appointment for the afternoon; That's for you to decide.

23.	such as to allow of or to require: too many for separate mention.

24.	such as results in: his reason for going.

25.	as affecting the interests or circumstances of: bad for one's health.

26.	in proportion or with reference to: He is tall for his age.

27.	in the character of; as being: to know a thing for a fact.

28.	by reason of; because of: to shout for joy; a city famed for its beauty.

29.	in spite of: He's a decent guy for all that.

30.	to the extent or amount of: to walk for a mile.

31.	(used to introduce a subject in an infinitive phrase): It's time for me to go.

32.	(used to indicate the number of successes out of a specified number of attempts): The batter was 2 for 4 in the game.

–conjunction

33.	seeing that; since.

34.	http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=because&db=luna

TO:

–preposition

1.	(used for expressing motion or direction toward a point, person, place, or thing approached and reached, as opposed to from): They came to the house.

2.	(used for expressing direction or motion or direction toward something) in the direction of; toward: from north to south.

3.	(used for expressing limit of movement or extension): He grew to six feet.

4.	(used for expressing contact or contiguity) on; against; beside; upon: a right uppercut to the jaw; Apply varnish to the surface.

5.	(used for expressing a point of limit in time) before; until: to this day; It is ten minutes to six. We work from nine to five.

6.	(used for expressing aim, purpose, or intention): going to the rescue.

7.	(used for expressing destination or appointed end): sentenced to jail.

8.	(used for expressing agency, result, or consequence): to my dismay; The flowers opened to the sun.

9.	(used for expressing a resulting state or condition): He tore it to pieces.

10.	(used for expressing the object of inclination or desire): They drank to her health.

11.	(used for expressing the object of a right or claim): claimants to an estate.

12.	(used for expressing limit in degree, condition, or amount): wet to the skin; goods amounting to $1000; Tomorrow's high will be 75 to 80°.

13.	(used for expressing addition or accompaniment) with: He added insult to injury. They danced to the music. Where is the top to this box?

14.	(used for expressing attachment or adherence): She held to her opinion.

15.	(used for expressing comparison or opposition): inferior to last year's crop; The score is eight to seven.

16.	(used for expressing agreement or accordance) according to; by: a position to one's liking; to the best of my knowledge.

17.	(used for expressing reference, reaction, or relation): What will he say to this?

18.	(used for expressing a relative position): parallel to the roof.

19.	(used for expressing a proportion of number or quantity) in; making up: 12 to the dozen; 20 miles to the gallon.

20.	(used for indicating the indirect object of a verb, for connecting a verb with its complement, or for indicating or limiting the application of an adjective, noun, or pronoun): Give it to me. I refer to your work.

21.	(used as the ordinary sign or accompaniment of the infinitive, as in expressing motion, direction, or purpose, in ordinary uses with a substantive object.)

22.	Mathematics. raised to the power indicated: Three to the fourth is 81 (3⁴ = 81).

–adverb

23.	toward a point, person, place, or thing, implied or understood.

24.	toward a contact point or closed position: Pull the door to.

25.	toward a matter, action, or work: We turned to with a will.

26.	into a state of consciousness; out of unconsciousness: after he came to.

.

Merve90 · Answer

Whoa!!...there is too much explain...i'd like to give some sentences..then i will understand it better...
we can use ^for^ and ^to^ to say our purpose..but...

to+verb(infinitive)--women wear make up to look nice.(((talk about purpose)))
for+verb(-ing)--i use this brush for washing the dishes.(((talk about the usage of sth)))

is that rule that these sentences which seem green??

Mister Micawber · Answer

.
Generally the infinitive expresses potential while the -ing form expresses activity. In most contexts there is no real difference in the meaning implied. ESL students tend to worry overmuch about this and end up using the -ing form too often. Native speakers would use the infinitive in both of your examples:

Women wear make up to look nice.
I use this brush to wash the dishes.

A greater concern for students is which verbs accept which form, as in these cases: I like washing dishes; I like to wash dishes; I enjoy washing dishes; I want to wash dishes.
.

Anonymous · Answer

I think your green definitions are on the right track, but that you can use either to talk about function/usage. So you'd get

Please don't scrub the floor with that! I use that brush for washing / to wash the dishes. (usage or function of the brush)
You're doing the dishes for me? Don't use that sponge. Here, I use this brush to wash the dishes. (to achieve this purpose, so the focus is more on the purpose than on the brush)

Anonymous · Answer

in one way they cab be used in a similar way, When you want to show the porpuse of something, example: The printer is used for printing papers.... or the printer is used to print papers, as you see the difference is in the following verbs, if you use to then you use the infinitive, but if you use for you have to use the gerund....

Infinitive of purpose ''for '' and ''to''

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions