Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

dido4 · Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 277

I got a question from a test:

What shop is the most famous ( ) noodles?

(A)on (B)for (C)of (D)in --->The answer is (B)

Q1: Why is (A) wrong?
Q2:What is the difference between on and for in the question?
Q3:If we put each answer in the question, what different meanings will they make?

Thank you

Lorikeet · Joined: 08 Oct 2005 Posts: 1877 Location: San Francisco

"Famous for" goes together.

That restaurant is famous for its noodles.
John is famous for his scientific research.
What is that woman famous for?

I don't know of any sentence where "famous on" is used.

None of the other three sounds correct.

LucentShade · Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 542 Location: Nebraska, USA

"for" means "because of" in this expression, so the sentence is saying, "Which shop is famous because of [its] noodles?"

Or, "He's famous for (=because of) his bad temper."

CP · Joined: 12 Jun 2006 Posts: 2875 Location: California

For "on" or "in" to be right, you would have to say something like:

"The restaurant's fame was built on its noodles."

"While the restaurant is not easy to find or pretty to look at, its secret for success lies in its noodles."

You would never say "famous on its noodles" or "famous in its noodles." It is famous for (by reason of) its noodles.

Yours truly, CP