I've seen people use both confirmation for and confirmation of, and I'm wondering if they mean the same thing or they have slightly different implications.
After you are done reviewing the attached essay, please confirm your receipt of it.
After you are done reviewing the attached essay, please confirm your receipt for it.
I think the second usage is wrong because I've seen people use "x.com order confirmation for your recent order", but not "x.com order confirmation of your recent order".
They seem interchangeable, but at some point they don't seem.
I guess I basically have two questions. I didn't even realize I was asking about "receipt of/for".
Which of the following sentence is correct?
I need your confirmation for the essay I sent you.
I need your confirmation of the essay I sent you.
I think that of is definitely more common, but can for be correct in this case? I'm so confused about this usage that I usually leave everything out and say "please review the attached essay and confirm receipt." Is this a full, grammatically acceptable sentence?
Best Answer
What you want is confirmation of receipt of the essay.
This is not only ugly, it is potentially confusing, because a receipt is a confirmation of receipt of the essay; and we call that a receipt for the essay.
This is what happens when people use nominalized verbs instead of actual verbs. Your instinct to turn those nominals back into the verbs they come from is commendable. Do so at every opportunity.
Three verbs, no nominals, no prepositions.