'Change to' vs 'change in'

[Sasha Zino]

Dear Forum participants!
Could you please explain to me the reason for choosing the appropriate preposition ('to' vs 'in') in the following cases:
1. change to society (e.g. "What changes to society happened as a result of the Russian Revolution in 1917?")
2. change in the patient condition?

I am facing difficulties in determining the logic behind the choice of the correct alternative in the cases mentioned above as in the equivalent expressions of the Russian language the same preposition will be used.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Tarheel]

Logic is for math.


You did choose the right one in each case. (The second one is not really a sentence of course.)

I don't have a rule for you.

(Please don't get in the habit of thanking me in advance.)

 

[tedmc]

Generally, change in is used for changes due to factors from within and change to from without (external factors).

 

[Sasha Zino]

Generally, change in is used for changes due to factors from within and change to from without (external factors).

Thank you for the reply – this interpretation seems quite right to me.

 

[Tarheel]

Could somebody post some example sentences? (Preferably, there should be at least three of each one.)

 

[Rover_KE]

Go to fraze.it and enter “change in” in the search box, followed by “change to”.

Some 21,000 examples of each should be enough.

 

[Sasha Zino]

Go to fraze.it and enter “change in” in the search box, followed by “change to”.

Some 21,000 examples of each should be enough.

Trying to find the examples of an English verb on a website with an Italian domain seems rather unusual to me. Thank you for the reference anyway.

 

[Tarheel]

Trying to find the examples of an English verb on a website with an Italian domain seems rather unusual to me. Thank you for the reference anyway.

I don't understand that at all.

 

[Tarheel]

change in

Another change in election law allows absentee ballots to be open to all voters.

It was a tragic, missed opportunity to brings regime change to North Korea.

One is oil, whose every change in supply sends jolts through the global economy.

Months ago, despair at the prospect of change in the Arab world was commonplace.

The aftermath of the 2004 tsunami also brought another change in relief efforts.

The change was set in 2002 when India lifted a ban on futures trading.

In light of Barack Obama's election, do you see any hope for a change in politics?

The new theory hinges on a change in French government as the possible trigger.

Nebraska occupies a transition zone, with little change in yield due to no till.

You thrive on change in your life although you value a stable family situation.

Another factor is the change in the way colleges recruit top high school talent.

The improvements in the track will represent a sea-level change in the facility.

There's a lot of change in a short time for one high level athletic program.

It's fair to ask if this team needs some kind of change in its core group.

 

[emsr2d2]

Trying to find the examples of an English verb on a website with an Italian domain seems rather unusual to me. Thank you for the reference anyway.

I've never been convinced that it's actually an Italian website. I think they chose ".it" as the suffix so that they could make a pun of "Phrase it" (ie choose a word and make a phrase with it).

 

[Tarheel]

change to

A significant change to the Division II landscape occurred in lacrosse Saturday.

When that much focus is applied, there is potential for real change to happen.

An upgrade can be anything from a simple software change to an entire relaunch.

President Barack Obama speaks on climate change to the United Nations on Wednesday.

We're part of a savored routine, and any change to that makes some people angry.

Apple's announcement Thursday did not include any change to rental policies.

Lincoln school officials will recommend a name change to the school board in October.

A name change to Rock Creek Christian Academy did little to change the tide.

The flowers are interesting in that they open a pure white and change to yellow.

Mr. Sarkozy's first year in office has brought only limited change to France.

Officials said they made the change to better help families plan their finances.

The officials attribute that change to the new abundance of cheap natural gas.

The refusal to compromise will result in a substantial change to the status quo.

But for a long-term, sustainable change to occur, broader solutions are necessary.

There's been a change to the document.

 

[Tarheel]

change for

It was a change for the better.

It was a change for the worse.

It was change for the sake of change.