to vs for

[Offroad]

Dear teachers?

California allows college aid to illegal immigrants.

if, instead of 'to', I said 'for', would it be correct?

Thanks

[emsr2d2]

Dear teachers?

California allows college aid to illegal immigrants.

if, instead of 'to', I said 'for', would it be correct?

Thanks

It wouldn't be incorrect.

[TheParser]

[QUOTE=Offroad;809346]

California allows college aid to illegal immigrants.

if, instead of 'to', I said 'for', would it be correct?

NOT A TEACHER


(1) As the teacher told you and me, native speakers would use either preposition in that headline.

(2) I did some googling, and it seems that the headlines of many news websites used "to" while some websites used "for."

(3) I found something very interesting in Professor Quirk's big grammar book.

(a) He says that we often use for when we are referring to an intended

recipient. (E.g., Mona is making a cake for her boyfriend. She wants her boyfriend to

get the cake, not the neighbors next door.)

(b) He says we often use to when we are referring to the actual recipient. (E.g.,

Mona made a cake and she sent it to her boyfriend. We can guess that he probably

got the cake.)

(4) Well, if (a big IF) this "rule" applies to that headline, then maybe (a big MAYBE),

the really "correct" headline should be:

CALIFORNIA ALLOWS COLLEGE AID FOR UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS

(a) "undocumented" is a gentler and kinder word than "illegal," which hurts people's feelings.

(b) If Dr. Quirk's "rule" applies here (and I don't know if it does), then maybe my headline

refers to the intended recipients (that is, those who are eligible to apply for college

aid if they wish to apply. Some will apply and some won't apply. But they are eligible if they are interested).

(c) If the headline had used "to," then it might have referred to people who were

already actually going to receive monetary assistance. (Remember the difference

between "make a cake for" and "sent a cake to"?) In other words, "to" would imply

money was on its way to the homes of some undocumented students.

[Tdol]

Maybe it's a difference in variants, but I am closer to Prof. Quirk's position than a big if.