Expressing purpose with ‘to’ and ‘for’
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Expressing Purpose with to and for
📝 Form and Use
We use to + infinitive and for + noun to talk about the purpose of an action — the reason why we do something.
✅ To + infinitive
- I went to the grocery store to buy some vegetables.
- I studied hard to pass the exam.
✅ For + noun
- Let’s go to the pub for a drink.
- We climbed to the top for the views.
🔁 Compare: to vs for
- I went to the shop to buy some milk. → (action)
- I went to the shop for some milk. → (thing/object)
⚠️ Don’t use for + -ing to explain why you do something
We do not use for + -ing to talk about the purpose of our actions.
❌ I work hard for improving my English.
✅ I work hard to improve my English.
❌ Turn the TV on for watching the news.
✅ Turn the TV on to watch the news.
✅ Use for + -ing to describe the function of an object
We can use to + infinitive or for + -ing to describe what something is used for.
- This machine is used for cleaning cars.
= This machine is used to clean cars. - This is a special camera for photographing small objects.
= This is a special camera to photograph small objects.