"recommendation for" vs " recommendation to"

In this context "recommendation" is basically synonymous with "advice." It is being "given" to somebody, not "for" somebody.

So, in my opinion, "to" is better, although using "for" would be easily understood. Actually, if you used "advice" rather than "recommendation" then "for" would seem more appropriate.

Not sure I can explain why. Maybe it's just the way those are commonly phrased, with no hard "reason" behind it.

If I was forced to give some reason, right or wrong, I would probably say that, as a rule, "advice" is treated more like a helpful suggestion, whereas recommendation is more in the form of a quasi-demand. You give advice "for" somebody to consider. You can give a recommendation in such a way that's it's deemed to be an imperative--an "or else" proposition.

They seem about the same to me. Realistically, I doubt anybody would notice the difference, if there is one.

'To' just sounds a little more authoritative to me.

Yeah, Rog. I suppose a lot of it is a matter of context, inflection, etc. The example given was:



That comes across as an implicit threat to me. And you always want to issue threats with an air of authority/power backing them up.

If you're trying to give an "order," you wouldn't give an order "for" somebody, you would give it "to" them--directly from you to them, with the understanding that you might take some unpleasant action if they disobeyed.

Thanks! You guys are great.

I was thinking along the same lines as far as "to" having the higher implicit degree of authority.

Cheers!