Be Eligible To Do vs. Eligible For Something distinguishes Oxford’s directly documented eligible to + verb and eligible for + noun phrase patterns. The choice depends on whether eligibility is framed as an action or as eligibility for a benefit, status, role, or other noun phrase.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
Use eligible to + verb for an action a person has the right or qualifications to perform; use eligible for + noun phrase for a benefit, status, role, or other thing they may receive or enter.
Key details
Confusion Familyusage-construction
Rule Familyconstruction choice
Termseligible + to-infinitive, eligible for + noun phrase
Further guidance
Core difference
Oxford directly gives eligible for something and eligible to do something. Choose the complement according to whether the eligibility concerns an action or a noun-phrase object.
Style Boundary
This is a complement-choice guide, not a claim that eligibility itself guarantees the action or benefit.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
Agree With vs. Agree On separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Angry With vs. Angry About separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Appropriate For vs. Appropriate To separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Available To vs. Available For separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Be Bound To Do vs. Bound For Somewhere separates two distinct Oxford-documented senses. Bound to do/be expresses certainty or likelihood, while bound for + destination describes travel toward a place. The guide keeps those senses separate from legal or duty-bound uses.
Be Elated To Do vs. Elated By Something compares two directly documented complement patterns for “elated.” Oxford evidence supports an infinitival use as well as elated at/by + noun phrase, so the guide explains the construction choice without generalizing from synonyms.
