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Could you explain sentences below explicitly, caring about the meaning of 'for'?

For a man of his wealth he's not exactly generous.

He plays very well for a beginner.

It was a difficult decision, especially for a child.

The winter has been unusually cold for Florida.

For every two people in favour of the law there are three against.

They are from Cambridge dictionary with the explanation that 'for' is sometimes used for comparing one thing with others of the same type.

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Comparison can be seen in all your examples.

For a man of his wealth he's not exactly generous.--Though he has got more money than others, he isn't generous.

He plays very well for a beginner.--Though he is a beginner, he can play very well, better, than others.

It was a difficult decision, especially for a child.--The child made a decision, which would be a difficult task even for adults.

The winter has been unusually cold for Florida.--This winter has been unusually cold (compared to previous years).

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It is not easy to define prepositions. The object of preposition for in these examples is the entity that is to be taken into account in respect to the predication made. In these examples, for has a hint of concession about it, as V.V.'s paraphrases attest. It might be paraphrased as "Although" or "Though".

For a man of his wealth, he can hardly be called generous.

Paraphrases:

Although he is a man of considerable wealth, he is not nearly as generous as he could be.

Considering the extent of his wealth, his generosity is quite meager.

The winter has been unusually cold for Florida.

Paraphrases:

Although it is Florida, the winter has been cold.

Considering Florida's usual warmth, this winter has been exceptionally cold.

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  • then to appy your idea to the final example, can it be like this sentense? Some people are in favour of the law although another people against.the law. The Ratio between two group is 2:3 respectively.
    – JBL
    Commented Jun 14, 2016 at 15:10
  • The quasi-concession would be "some people are in favor of the law" and the counter would be "they are outnumbered by those who are against it, 3 to 2". Although some people are in favor of the law, they are outnumbered.
    – TimR
    Commented Jun 14, 2016 at 16:39

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