Date: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 13:46:09 +0000 From: David Bergdahl Subject: Re: change of a ten I've been wondering what the confusion was--the expression "change for a dollar [bill]" seems so utterly transparent to me--but this post makes me see that other places must allow bus drivers to make change rather than take tokens [the more common route], transfers or exact change. > > "I *vas* dere, Sharley", and I remember the situation; and I'll hesitantly suggest an alternative explanation for the > difference between "of" and "for" here. Normally you ask "Do you have change for an X(-coin/bill)?" when you are > paying someone an amount, y, that is considerably less than (the value of an) X. The intended recipient need not have > $X in smaller units to be able to answer "yes" and give you your change, only $(X - y). But on the bus you are not > asking the driver, who cannot give you change, but other passengers; and you are asking if they can give you exactly > $X in appropriate smaller units so that you can give the driver y (leaving you with X - y).* And that may be the > difference that the change in preposition was meant to capture: "Can you give me X in change, in EXchange for an X?", > rather than "Can you give me the difference between X and the value of my purchase, in exchange for an X and my > purchase?" > _____________________________________________________________________ david.bergdahl[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ohiou.edu Ohio University / Athens http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~bergdahl Ellis Hall 114c tel: (740) 593-2783 Office hours: fax: (740) 593-2818 MTThF 10:10-11 a.m.