General English Level 6 V 3
UNIT 01 Eat up! TOPIC 03 What are you making for dinner?
LANGUAGE FOCUS 06 Talking about purpose
In this activity we will look at how to talk about purpose - why we do certain things.
Zahra and Alex say:
Zahra:
When the meat starts to brown put the spices in and fry for a few more minutes.
Alex:
OK. Why do you put the spices in so soon?
Zahra: To get a nice full flavour.

Zahra tells Alex why she puts spices in so soon, To get a nice full flavour .
To get a nice full flavour is a non-finite clause of purpose . Non-finite clauses of purpose tell us why somebody does something. Non-finite means that there is no finite or complete verb in the clause.

Zahra says:
Zahra:
You have to stir, and then leave it for about ten minutes to let it absorb all the water .
Zahra:
Chop the onions and keep them separate to fry them first.
Zahra: ... I forgot, olive oil. You need it to fry the onions and meat.
Zahra: After that put the foil over the top to seal it.
Zahra: … empty the couscous into a bowl and toss it with a fork to separate it.

Zahra uses many non-finite clauses of purpose to help Alex understand her instructions, and to explain why each step is important.



We can also begin non-finite clauses of purpose with the conjunctions, in order to and so as to . These are more formal. We use them in written English or in formal conversations.

Position of non-finite clauses of purpose

The position of non-finite clauses of purpose depends on what we want our listeners or readers to focus on (pay most attention to). If we want them to focus on the information in the clause of purpose, we might put it first. Usually, however, the purpose clause goes after the main clause.
When we put the adverbial clause before the main clause, we need to put a comma after the adverbial clause.


Examples

1 Read the examples.
2 Listen to the examples.
3 Practise saying each example. Use the Pause button.
Read this page to learn more about English grammar .
Click on the listen button to hear the conversation .
Read the conversation in order to understand it better .
To improve your English , study every day.
We had a party at work to celebrate Jake's birthday .
Zahra wrote down the recipe in order to help Alex remember it .
Alex bought some lamb so as to cook Zahra's recipe.

Now go to 07 LANGUAGE FOCUS Talking about quantity.