Phrasal verb
care for sb
Definition
phrasal verb. to look after someone who is young, old, or sick; it can also mean to love or like someone very much.
phrasal verb. to provide for the physical or emotional needs of another person; also functions as a more formal or romantic synonym for 'to love' or 'to be fond of'.
Examples
“He spends his weekends caring for his elderly mother.”
“The hospital is looking for volunteers to care for patients who do not have any family nearby.”
“Although they had only known each other for a few months, it was clear that he had come to care for her deeply.”
Examples
simple
“He spends his weekends caring for his elderly mother.”
contextual
“The hospital is looking for volunteers to care for patients who do not have any family nearby.”
complex
“Although they had only known each other for a few months, it was clear that he had come to care for her deeply.”
Usage
the object is always the person receiving the attention or affection.
Teaching tip
point out the two distinct senses: the 'nursing/looking after' sense and the 'affection/liking' sense, which is often used in negative questions like 'Would you care for a drink?'.
Pitfall
She cares of her brother.
She cares for her brother.
the verb 'care' requires the preposition 'for' when it means looking after someone; 'care of' is only used in postal addresses.
Phrasal verb
Particles
for
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
care + for + object