Expressing Purpose in English

Expressing Purpose in English: A Complete Guide (with Examples)

Hello English learners! Welcome to a new lesson. Today, we’re going to look at the most useful words and structures for expressing purpose in English — in other words, how to explain why we do something.

Being able to express purpose clearly is essential:

• in speaking, it helps you sound logical and precise
• in writing, it helps you structure ideas and make your arguments more persuasive
• in exams (B2 First, C1 Advanced), it helps you link ideas in a clear, natural way

Let’s go from simple and everyday expressions to more formal and academic ones.

The most common and natural ways

These are the expressions you will use all the time in everyday English.

To / in order to / so as to

We often use the infinitive to express purpose.

• The doctor examined him to check his lungs.
• The shops are brightly coloured to attract customers.

In order to and so as to are more formal and are often used in writing.

• Tonia skipped breakfast in order to catch the train.
• He spoke quietly so as not to wake the baby.

Negative form:

so as not to, in order not to

So that

We use so that + subject + verb when the result depends on another person or situation.

• I reorganised my files so that I could find everything more easily.
• Peter went to bed early so that he wouldn’t miss his flight.

Purpose with hope, attempt, or effort

These expressions are very common in formal writing, articles, and reports.

In the hope of

• He applied for the job in the hope of getting a promotion.
• She invested the money in the hope of making a profit.

In an attempt to

• She changed her diet in an attempt to improve her health.
• He cut the rope in an attempt to free his feet.

In the effort to

• They worked together in the effort to solve the problem.
• The city launched a campaign in the effort to reduce pollution.

In a bid to

• The company changed its image in a bid to attract younger customers.
• Sonya went on a diet in a bid to lose weight before summer.

Formal and academic purpose expressions

These are excellent for essays, articles, reports, and proposals.

With the aim of / with the objective of / with the goal of

• She moved to London with the aim of finding a better job.
• They held a meeting with the objective of resolving the issue.
• He started a business with the goal of becoming financially independent.

With the intention of / with the desire to / with the aspiration to

• He went to Brazil with the intention of seeing the carnival.
• She started writing with the desire to express her creativity.
• They launched the project with the aspiration to improve education.

In the pursuit of / in the quest for

• She dedicated her life to science in the pursuit of
• He travelled the world in the quest for

Purpose for benefit or interest

These expressions show that something is done to help someone or something.

For the sake of

• They stayed together for the sake of the children.

For the benefit of

• The money was donated for the benefit of the homeless.

In the interest of

• The policy was introduced in the interest of public safety.

Very formal or emphatic purpose

For the purpose of / for the express purpose of

• The team was created for the purpose of improving customer service.
• She went there for the express purpose of meeting the manager.

For the express purpose of strongly emphasises the exact reason.

Quick style guide

Everyday English → to, so that

Neutral / semi-formal → in order to, so as to, in the hope of, in an attempt to

Formal / academic → with the aim of, with the objective of, in the pursuit of, in a bid to

Final thought

Being able to express purpose in English clearly makes your speech and writing sound more logical, more mature and more professional. And in Cambridge exams, it often makes the difference between a B and an A.

After all, English is much easier when you know not just what you’re doing — but why you’re doing it. 😉

Learn how to express probability in English here