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Preposition/for and about
Message from showrovv posted on 09-03-2010 at 15:08:28 (D | E | F)
Hello,
I am tired of learning the preposition "for" and "about".
Will anybody help me get rid of the problem? these two always confuse me.
Thank you for your answers.
3. Maggy ,you are crazy FOR/ABOUT this new young singer, aren't you?
7. I am so sorry ABOUT/FOR forgetting your birthday.
10. I knew you were ill, I was sorry FOR/ABOUT that.
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Edited by lucile83 on 09-03-2010 15:48
Message from showrovv posted on 09-03-2010 at 15:08:28 (D | E | F)
Hello,
I am tired of learning the preposition "for" and "about". Will anybody help me get rid of the problem? these two always confuse me.
Thank you for your answers.
3. Maggy ,you are crazy FOR/ABOUT this new young singer, aren't you?
7. I am so sorry ABOUT/FOR forgetting your birthday.
10. I knew you were ill, I was sorry FOR/ABOUT that.
-------------------
Edited by lucile83 on 09-03-2010 15:48
Re: Preposition/for and about from smartway, posted on 14-03-2010 at 12:03:14 (D | E)
hello;
for these three sentences we use FOR.
verb+about
adjective+for
examples,
we are talking about you.
i am slave for you.
Re: Preposition/for and about from headway, posted on 14-03-2010 at 17:11:32 (D | E)
Bonjour,
Je crois qu'on dit : To be crazy aboutsomeone
Re: Preposition/for and about from newtoglos, posted on 14-03-2010 at 18:33:39 (D | E)
Bonjour, je ne suis pas professeur d'anglais, donc je ne peux pas vous confirmer s'il existe des régles, mais je SUIS anglais et voici mes conseils:
sorry for/about - "I'm sorry for forgetting your birthday", "I'm sorry about your birthday [si le contexte est que vous l'avez oublier]" - tout les deux sont corrects !
aussi, pour compatir avec qqn "I'm sorry to hear that you're ill", "I knew you were ill, I'm sorry about that"
"I'm crazy ABOUT the new singer" est correct, mais je pense qu'aux Etats Unis on dit aussi "he's crazy for that new singer" - mais je suis anglais, je ne suis pas sur!
J'espère que cela vous aide.
Re: Preposition/for and about from russcore, posted on 06-04-2010 at 16:18:15 (D | E)
Hello,
I'm from the United States, and similar to the above poster, I'm merely a native speaker and not a professor; so my comments only pertain to American English.
Regarding the examples given, both "for" and "about" are generally correct -- they just vary in meaning slightly.
The best explanation I can think of is that "for" is generally more restrictive and specific, whereas "about" is less specific and less restrictive.
I imagine that learning prepositions in English must be the most difficult part of the language -- because changing prepositions changes the meaning. Many verbs change meaning based on the preposition that follows.
For example,
I'm sorry about forgetting your birthday.
I'm sorry for forgetting your birthday.
--> There is little difference between the two. However, the first implies that I'm sorry about everything that happened because I forgot your birthday, whereas the second one implies I'm only sorry about the fact that I forgot your birthday.
I have been running for 3 hours.
I have been running about 3 hours.
--> First means exactly 3 hours, whereas the second means approximately 3.
I looked about the building.
I looked for the building.
--> The first means I was looking around the building (presumably for something else), and the second means I was looking for the building itself.
He spoke about her.
He spoke for her.
--> In the first, "her" is the subject of his conversation. In the second, he is speaking in place of her (saying the same things she would say).
Games are for fun.
Games are about having fun.
--> Little difference between the two. However, the second is more emphatic.
Poker is for money.
Poker is about money.
--> The first, poker is for earning money. The second, poker deals with money.
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