Noun + FOR, TO & OF Exercises (Part 1)

Three of the most common prepositions after nouns are for, to, and of. Each connects the noun to what follows in a different way. Nouns about purpose, desire, or cause typically take for: "a passion for music," "a need for change," "a talent for languages." Nouns about direction, response, or access typically take to: "the answer to a question," "the key to success," "damage to the building." Nouns about belonging, quantity, or part-whole relationships typically take of: "the cause of the accident," "a lack of information," "an example of kindness."

A common mistake is using "of" where "for" or "to" is needed. Learners often say "the reason of" instead of the correct "reason for," or "the solution of" instead of "solution to." These errors usually come from translating directly from other languages. The best way to avoid them is to learn each noun + preposition pair as a fixed phrase, paying particular attention to cases where your first language uses a different preposition. This area of grammar is tested extensively in Cambridge B1 Preliminary and B2 First examinations.