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HELP - "to" and "for"

One of my students said another teacher told her that saying "the key for the door" in incorrect.
Rather, it should be "the key to the door." That same principle applies to "tickets to the baseball
game", instead of "tickets for the baseball game", and so on...

Is there a rule about this?

Reply 1

Unregistered

[email protected] (BB) burbled news:[email protected]:

[q1]> One of my students said another teacher told her that saying "the key for the door" in incorrect.[/q1]
[q1]> Rather, it should be "the key to the door." That same principle applies to "tickets to the[/q1]
[q1]> baseball game", instead of "tickets for the baseball game", and so on...[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Is there a rule about this?[/q1]

This seems to me to be a matter of personal taste in this kind of context. Both prepositions are
widely used, and whatever one's personal taste in the matter, the other choice is perfectly
acceptable, IMHO. There are other instances where "to" and "for" may not be treated as equally
appropriate, though.

--
Franke: Grammar 1: Internalized rules for the spoken language. Grammar 2: Formal rules for the
written language. Grammar 1 does not equal Grammar 2.

Reply 2

Unregistered

BB wrote:

[q1]> One of my students said another teacher told her that saying "the key for the door" in incorrect.[/q1]
[q1]> Rather, it should be "the key to the door." That same principle applies to "tickets to the[/q1]
[q1]> baseball game", instead of "tickets for the baseball game", and so on...[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Is there a rule about this?[/q1]

No rule about idiomatic use of prepositions in English. Idioms make their own rules.

Acceptable to say 'key for/key of', 'tickets to/tickets for'.

Not the same with 'I went to help/I went for help'.

'I went to the toilet/I went for the toilet.'

Reply 3

Unregistered

http://www.orientaldaily.com.hk/cgi-bin/nsrch.cgi?seq=248400

http://www.orientaldaily.com.hk/cgi-bin/nsrch.cgi?seq=248401

http://www.orientaldaily.com.hk/cgi-bin/nsrch.cgi?seq=248402

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10/06/2002 ???? ?? 2 A 24

BB <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
[q1]> One of my students said another teacher told her that saying "the key for the door" in incorrect.[/q1]
[q1]> Rather, it should be "the key to the door." That same principle applies to "tickets to the[/q1]
[q1]> baseball game", instead of "tickets for the baseball game", and so on...[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Is there a rule about this?[/q1]