allocated for v.s. allocated to

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allocated for v.s. allocated to

by netigen » Sat May 31, 2008 5:46 pm
Which one is correct?

allocated to or allocated for

Kaplan says "allocated to" is the right idiom but other say both are correct

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/allocate

Anyone knows of an official reference to this idiom.

thanks
AG

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by jasonc » Sat May 31, 2008 6:32 pm
idiomn is:

"allocated to x"
or "allocated y for z"

EDIT:
changed variables to avoid confusion
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by netigen » Sat May 31, 2008 6:46 pm
This is the sentence:

The public library allocated the revenues it received from the recently passed tax initiative .......... the purchasing of more than two thousand books.

Whats should go in the blank?

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by WeylandYutani » Sat May 31, 2008 8:18 pm
I think the fill in should be 'to'... do we know the answer? Maybe you can use both interchangeably.

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by jasonc » Sat May 31, 2008 10:45 pm
netigen wrote:This is the sentence:

The public library allocated the revenues it received from the recently passed tax initiative .......... the purchasing of more than two thousand books.

Whats should go in the blank?
Preface:
Do not take what I'm about to say with too much weight, I'm very bad with grammar. (I missed 11/14 SC questions on a GMATprep test just a few weeks ago)

I think I should correct my previous post. I think the main difference is in meaning...

allocated x to y
vs
allocated w for z

to - means x is given to y (where y is usually a noun?)
for - means w is given for the purpose of z

so while both can be used correctly, in the sentence you posted, I would argue for 'allocated x for z' since it expresses purpose.
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by anju » Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:18 am
Jaon, I think your reasoning is correct.; but I still need to confirm with more examples

The idiom should be allocated for.

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by s_raizada » Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:35 am
OG 10 Q 247 uses allocated to idiom but the important point to note is that it does know say that allocated for is incorrect even though it is in some wrong answer choices.

Usually OG explanations will say it clearly if some idiom is unacceptable.

I ran search and find on OG11 and there is not even a single question that uses allocated verb.

In summary, both could be correct depending upon the structural parallelism in the comple sentence. See the question below from og 10 and OA is A

Faced with an estimated $2 billion budget gap, the city's mayor proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in
the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
hundreds of local arts groups.
(A) proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's
major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(B) proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent in the amount it was allocating to
maintain the city's major cultural institutions and for subsidizing
(C) proposed to reduce, by nearly 17 percent, the amount from the previous year that was allocated for the
maintenance of the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(D) has proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent of the amount it was allocating
for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions, and to subsidize
(E) was proposing that the amount they were allocating be reduced by nearly 17 percent from the previous
year for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions and for the subsidization

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by netigen » Mon Jun 02, 2008 1:43 pm
BTW according to Kaplan the ans is ... allocated to