Ways to Talk about Aim or Purpose in English

Ways to Talk about Aim or Purpose in English

Hello English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. If you are writing an essay or an email, you will find this lesson very useful because we will look at different ways to talk about aim or purpose in English. First, let’s look at the words that mean aim or purpose, their meanings and how to use them in context:

• Objective
• Goal
• Target
• Mission
• Intention

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Objective

An objective refers to something you are planning to achieve.

• Our objective is to finish the building by the end of the year.
• The main objective of the meeting is to find ways to obtain funds for the restoration of the monument.

Goal

A goal is something you aim to achieve and it can be long-term or short-term.

• Although he was a teacher, his ultimate goal was to become a businessman.
• The company’s short-term goal is to improve customer care, while its long-term goal would be to become a market leader in this part of the world.

Target

A target is something you are hoping to achieve in the future. It is often used with numbers and amounts.

• Our YouTube channel will reach the target of 2000 subscribers next week.
• The new shopping centre is on target to open by the end of the month.
• It took me a month to achieve my target weight but I made it.

Mission

A mission is an important assignment or a goal which defines your activity.

• The mission of the NGO is to build schools and hospitals for poor people all around Africa.
• The board accomplished their mission to obtain computers for all employees.

Intention

Your intention is what you plan or aim to do.

• One of the intentions of the recipe book is to help people choose fresh and healthy ingredients when preparing their meals.
• It was not my intention to be mean; I said it unthinkingly.

Aim/set out to do something

If you aim or set out to do something, you are trying to achieve it.

• The article aims to help students make better choices when it comes to their careers.
• The company sets out to maintain a high standard of customer care.

Be supposed to do something

If you are supposed to do something, you are expected to do it and intend or aim to do it.

• The government is supposed to reduce the income tax in the following quarter.
• All students are supposed to attend the lecture in this classroom tomorrow at noon.

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