Education
Do you REALLY know "to" vs. "for"?
In this episode of the Espresso English Podcast, Shayna clarifies the differences between 'to' and 'for,' common prepositions that often confuse English learners. Listeners will ga...
Do you REALLY know "to" vs. "for"?
Education •
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Interactive Transcript
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Hi and welcome to the Espresso English Podcast, where you can improve your English in just
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a few minutes a day.
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My name is Shayna and I'm the teacher at Espresso English.
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Make sure to visit the website EspressoEnglish.net, where you can get online courses and e-books
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that will help you learn English even faster.
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Let's get started with today's lesson.
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Do we say I'm studying for improve my English or I'm studying to improve my English?
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Hmm, tricky, right?
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Even advanced students sometimes mix up to and for.
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Let me give you a quick explanation of the difference and then we'll test your knowledge
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with a quiz.
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You'll definitely want to download this lesson PDF for review and reference because I've
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also included lists of verbs after which we commonly use two and four.
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When you know these, you can use the correct word much more easily and naturally.
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Click on the link in the video description and enter your email address to receive that
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free PDF.
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Alright, let's do a quick review of when to use two and four.
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Use two when there's movement.
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We're going to New York.
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I gave the keys to John.
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Or when you do something for someone's benefit or on their behalf meaning in their place.
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I made dinner for you.
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Can you carry these books for me?
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We use two to talk about purpose or reason why with the verb after it.
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I'm studying to improve my English.
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We moved here why to be near my family.
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And we use four to talk about purpose or reason why with the noun after it.
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I'm studying for an English test.
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We moved here for my husband's job.
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Now, let's see if you can complete these 20 sentences correctly with two or four.
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Number one, she moved to London, two or four live with her boyfriend.
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The correct answer is two.
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She moved to London to live with her boyfriend.
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Number two, I don't have the files.
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Can you send them two or four me?
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The correct answer is two.
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I don't have the files.
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Can you send them to me?
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Number three, I came to New York.
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The correct answer is four.
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I came to New York for college.
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Number four, we saved seats, two or four you.
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The correct answer is four.
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We saved seats for you.
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Number five, I got some snacks, two or four everyone.
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The correct answer is four.
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I got some snacks for everyone.
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Number six, they hired a consultant, two or four, analyze their strategy.
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The correct answer is two.
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They hired a consultant to analyze their strategy.
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Number seven, we threw a party, two or four the new graduates.
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The correct answer is four.
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We threw a party for the new graduates.
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Number eight, she started doing yoga, two or four better health.
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The correct answer is four.
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She started doing yoga for better health.
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Number nine, he opened the door two or four me.
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The correct answer is four.
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He opened the door for me.
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Number ten, I lift weights two or four get stronger.
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The correct answer is two.
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I lift weights two get stronger.
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Number eleven, she passed the salt two or four her brother.
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The correct answer is two, she passed the salt to her brother.
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Number twelve, I signed up two or four volunteer at the animal shelter.
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The correct answer is two, I signed up to volunteer at the animal shelter.
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Number thirteen, I came to New York two or four find a better job.
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The correct answer is two, I came to New York to find a better job.
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Number fourteen, he mailed a gift two or four his grandmother, two or four her birthday.
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The correct answers are two and then four.
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He mailed a gift to his grandmother for her birthday.
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Number fifteen, should I assign this task two or four Sarah or John?
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The correct answer is two, should I assign this task to Sarah or John?
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Number sixteen, these vitamins are two or four women over fifty.
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The correct answer is four, these vitamins are four women over fifty.
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Number seventeen, the CEO doesn't answer emails, his assistant does it two or four him.
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The correct answer is four, the CEO doesn't answer emails, his assistant does it for him.
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Number eighteen, she moved to Paris two or four a fashion course.
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The correct answer is four, she moved to Paris for a fashion course.
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Number nineteen, I lent my jacket two or four a friend.
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The correct answer is two, I lent my jacket to a friend.
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Number twenty, he told a funny story two or four the group.
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The correct answer is two, he told a funny story to the group.
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Great job working through those sentences, what was your score on the quiz?
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I hope the difference between two and four is a little clearer now.
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Make sure to download the free lesson PDF to review today's quiz and all the example sentences
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by clicking on the link in the video description and entering your email address.
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And if you want to keep learning and improving, grab my ebook 600 plus confusing English words explained.
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It's full of easy to understand explanations and examples of words that English learners often mix up,
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like say versus tell, fun versus funny, especially versus especially and many, many more.
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You'll find the link for that below as well.
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Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next lesson.
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If you want more great English lessons, visit espressoenglish.net
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where you can sign up by email to receive a free ebook with 500 plus real English phrases.
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You'll also find online courses to help you improve your English fast, even if you don't have much time to study.
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Keep practicing your English and I hope you have a wonderful day.