diamondcutter
Senior Member
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2014
- Member Type
- English Teacher
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- China
- Current Location
- China
1. There’s no age limit for applicants. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)
2. The lower age limit for voting is 18. (= You can’t vote unless you are 18 years old.) (Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary)
3. We set a time limit for the test. (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)
4. Parents need to set limits for their children.
= Parents need to set limits on the behavior of their children. (Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary)
5. There’s no limit to what we can accomplish.
= We can accomplish anything if we work hard enough. (Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary)
6. There is a limit to the amount of pain we can bear. (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English)
7. There are strict limits on presidential power. (Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners of American English)
8. We have to put a limit on the number of participants. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)
9. The EU has set strict limits on levels of pollution. (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English)
When I see all these sentences above, three questions arise in my mind:
1. Can I use ‘to’ or ‘on’ to replace ‘for’ in sentences1-4?
2. Can I use ‘for’ to replace ‘to’ or ‘on’ in sentences5-9?
3. Are there any rules telling us when to use ‘to’ ‘on’ or ‘for’ after ‘limit(s)’(noun)?
Thanks very much in advance.
2. The lower age limit for voting is 18. (= You can’t vote unless you are 18 years old.) (Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary)
3. We set a time limit for the test. (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)
4. Parents need to set limits for their children.
= Parents need to set limits on the behavior of their children. (Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary)
5. There’s no limit to what we can accomplish.
= We can accomplish anything if we work hard enough. (Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary)
6. There is a limit to the amount of pain we can bear. (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English)
7. There are strict limits on presidential power. (Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners of American English)
8. We have to put a limit on the number of participants. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)
9. The EU has set strict limits on levels of pollution. (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English)
When I see all these sentences above, three questions arise in my mind:
1. Can I use ‘to’ or ‘on’ to replace ‘for’ in sentences1-4?
2. Can I use ‘for’ to replace ‘to’ or ‘on’ in sentences5-9?
3. Are there any rules telling us when to use ‘to’ ‘on’ or ‘for’ after ‘limit(s)’(noun)?
Thanks very much in advance.