What Part of Speech Is ‘For’?

Depending on how it is used in a sentence, a word can belong to more than one part of speech. For is no exception: It can function as preposition or conjunction.

1. For as preposition

That’s the most important role for plays. In all the examples as a preposition, note that for is followed by a noun phrase or pronoun, which together are called prepositional phrase.

As a preposition, for can be used in following ways:

(Comments that go with examples are in square brackets.)

1. It is used to indicate the place where someone or something is heading:

She left for the airport at 7 PM. [for is followed by the noun phrase the airport, forming the prepositional phrase for the airport.]

I’m leaving for the market.

2. It is used to indicate that something is intended to be given to a person or thing:

Here is a gift for you.

This report card is meant for your parents.

The competition carries a prize money of $1,000 for the best essay.

3. It shows purpose or reason for something:

I’m leaving for an urgent meeting.

I’ll stick around for a chance to speak with the speaker.

Tom went out for a quick chat.

4. It is used in the meaning ‘because of’ or ‘as a result of’:

Apple products are known for their design. [Because of]

Some are not taking vaccines for multiple reasons. [Because of]

5. It is used in the meaning ‘on the occasion of’ or ‘at the time of’:

There are no special celebrations for New Year this time. [On the occasion of]

I’ve taken an appointment with the doctor for 12:00 noon. [At the time of]

The government is making elaborate arrangements for completing three years in the office. [On the occasion of]

6. It measures distance or time:

The teacher has gone out for five minutes.

Dinosaurs ruled the planet for more than 100 million years.

We trekked for miles, but the camp was nowhere in sight.

7. It is used to compare two things:

He is way advanced in the subject for a class-6 student.

For the limited resources she has, she is way too generous.

He is quite wise for his age.

8. It is used to show support for or agreement with something:

Majority of the senators voted for the proposal.

Anyone for a movie?

Are you up for the adventure?

9. It is used to show what someone would get in exchange of something:

I got my laptop fixed for $80.

I wasted so much time and money on the project for nothing.

How much did you pay for this dress?

2. For as conjunction

For is used as a coordinating conjunction (it’s the first in FANBOYS) in the meaning of because:

Ants dispose of their dead, for they can infect the entire ant population.

There has been a cut in government spending, for its tax collection has gone down due to decline in economic activity during Covid time.

Some people are avoiding vaccines, for they think vaccines might have side effects.

If you find it challenging to differentiate between for as a preposition and for as a conjunction, there is a simple way to check.

Can the parts before and after for be two independent sentences? If yes, for is a conjunction. If not, for is a preposition.

Ants dispose of their dead, for they can infect the entire ant population. [Conjunction because it can be split into two sentences: Ants dispose of their dead. They can infect the entire ant population.]

Ants dispose of their dead for maintaining cleanliness. [Preposition because it can’t be split into two sentences: Ants dispose of their dead. Keeping cleanliness.]

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Anil Yadav

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