Good FOR Me or Good TO Me? What is the difference? 

Vocabulary / By

The phrases ‘good for me’ and ‘good to me’ are both grammatically correct phrases in the English language. We use good to me when someone is nice towards us and we use good for me when something is beneficial for us. 

Continue reading on to learn more about what both to and for imply, when to use each word, and examples of how to use each phrase in a sentence with the proper context.

For Versus To

While some concepts found in the English language are more difficult to understand than others, understanding the difference between for and to is a fairly simple one to grasp. When the reason or purpose in the sentence is a noun, you will use the word ‘for’. If the reason or purpose in the sentence is a verb, you should use the word ‘to’. For example

  • I bought a gift to give to Sam on his birthday.
  • I bought a gift for Sam’s birthday.

In both of these sentences, the subject is a gift. However, in the first sentence, the writer is presenting the purpose or reason as a verb ‘to give’. In the second sentence, there is no action verb but rather a noun, Sam.

Good to Me or Good for Me?

Because the word ‘me’ is a noun subject, it can seem a bit tricky to know when to use good for me instead of good to me.

We use “good to me” when a person is kind and considerate to “me”.

Your husband was very good to me when I arrived from Syria.

We use “good for me” when something is beneficial for us. (especially our health).

It is good me for to go out and meet people. 

Other Examples of Using To and For

There are many examples of using to and for within sentences as they are quite commonly found in sentence parts. Here are a few other examples of when to use ‘to’ and ‘for’ depending on if the sentence is describing a noun or verb.

  • She drinks coffee to feel more awake.
  • She drinks coffee for its great flavor.
  • I am exercising to stay healthy.
  • I am exercising for my health.

In these sentences, you can clearly see where the subject is and whether you should use to or for based on the other sentence parts.

 

Conor
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