For is commonly used with nouns to express individual purpose:
- I popped into the supermarket for some apples on the
way home.
(Not: I popped into the supermarket for buying some apples…)
- I stopped by at his office for a chat about our marketing
strategy.
(Not: I stopped by at his office for having a chat about marketing.)
- I decided I would save up for a new computer.
(NOT: I decided I would save up for buying a new computer.)
- I stopped by at the supermarket to buy some apples
on the way home.
- I popped into his office to have a chat about our
marketing policy.
- I decided to save up to buy a new computer.
However, if we are talking about the purpose of an object or an action, we normally use the for + verb-ing pattern. Note that this pattern commonly answers the question: What are they (used) for? Compare the following:
- Schools are for educating children not for entertaining
them.
- Schools are for learning. Life is for living.
- This kitchen knife is especially useful for slicing vegetables.
- What's this for? ~ It's for opening oysters. It's
much better than a knife.
- What's this fifty pound note for? ~ It's for buying food for the weekend.
- I use this small knife to slice vegetables with.
- I use this gadget to open shellfish with.
Note that, as an alternative to to + infinitive, we might use in order to, or so as to, to express individual purpose when we want to be more formal or explicit about the reason for doing something. All of these structures answer the question: Why…?. Compare the following:
- I went to bed early in order to get enough sleep before
the exam.
- After four weeks of exams, I went to the seaside to rest.
- After twenty days of exams, I went to the seaside for a rest.
- After all those exams, I went to the seaside so as to have a good rest.
- So as not to appear foolish, I learnt all I could about
the company before going for the interview.
- I'm going to move to the city centre in order to be near
where I work.
- In order not to have to commute, she bought a flat in
the town centre.
- In order to know more about him, she studied his movements carefully.
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