To me for me

[Rachel Adams]

Is it wrong to start my sentence with "to me/for me or should I use it at the end of my sentence?
Is the indefinite article optional when I list singular nouns? Is it optional before "job"?


"To me/for me happiness is having healthy kids, a house, a good job, and peace in the world" (to me/for me).

 

[5jj]

If you use them at the beginning of the sentence, you should follow them with a comma.

An indefinite article is not essential before 'good job', but the sentence reads better with it.

 

[Rachel Adams]

If you use them at the beginning of the sentence, you should follow them with a comma.

Indefinite articles are not essential before 'healthy kids' and 'good job', but the sentence reads better with them.

So the sentences should be either
1. "To me, (or for me) happiness is having a healthy kid, a house, a good job, and peace in the world".

2. "Happiness is having a healthy kid, a house, a good job, and peace in the world" to me (or for me)."

Do I understand correctly, it should be "kid" not "kids". Right?

 

[emsr2d2]

2. "Happiness is having a healthy kid, a house, a good job, and peace in the world" to me (or for me)."

Do I understand correctly? It should be "kid", not "kids", right?

That works only if you have just one child. If you have more than one, or none, use "healthy kids". Putting "to me" or "for me" at the end doesn't work.

 

[emsr2d2]

Note that it's more common to say that you want world peace, rather than peace in the world.

 

[Tarheel]

It's admirable to want world peace, but if you need that to be happy you will be be disappointed. (Admittedly, that's not a language issue.)

 

[Rachel Adams]

Putting "to me" or "for me" at the end doesn't work.

Do you mean it doesn't work in my sentence, but in other contexts it might work?

 

[emsr2d2]

Do you mean it doesn't work in my sentence, but in other contexts it might work?

Yes. In a shorter sentence, it would work. For example:

That use of the word doesn't work for me.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Yes. In a shorter sentence, it would work. For example:

That use of the word doesn't work for me.

Is it wrong to use "to me" in your example? They aren't always interchangeable, are they?

 

[Tarheel]

I haven't considered that they might be interchangeable. (Maybe 10% of the time.)

 

[Tdol]

The last one seems a bit ambitious to me.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Yes. In a shorter sentence, it would work. For example:

That use of the word doesn't work for me.

Would you use "for me" at the end of your sentence?

 

[5jj]

emsr2d2 did use it.

 

[Rachel Adams]

emsr2d2 did use it.

Oh, I meant "to me". Would "to me" work at the of emsr2d2's sentence?

"That use of the word doesn't work to me."

 

[5jj]

No.