Meaning & use
the main purpose of
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
the most important reason or aim that something has
Grammar: Followed by a noun or an -ing verb: the main purpose of the study, the main purpose of studying.
Patterns
- the main purpose of something
- the main purpose of doing something
- the main purpose of something is to do something
The main purpose of the survey was to find out what customers wanted.
What is the main purpose of this meeting?
The main purpose of the training is to improve safety at work.
Common combinations
- the main purpose of the study
- The main purpose of the study was to test a new teaching method.
- the main purpose of the visit
- The main purpose of the visit was to discuss trade.
- the main purpose of the law
- The main purpose of the law is to protect children.
- serve the main purpose of
- This room serves the main purpose of storing old files.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aim
- Aim is shorter and often used for personal goals; the main purpose of is more formal and often introduces a whole activity or document.
- objective
- Objective sounds more official and is common in business and military contexts; the main purpose of is more general.
- goal
- Goal is common in everyday speech and sports; the main purpose of is better in careful writing.
Word family
- purpose noun
- the reason for doing something
- purposeful adjective
- having a clear aim
- purposely adverb
- on purpose, deliberately
Commonly confused: the main purpose of or the main point of?
the main purpose of vs the main point of
The main point of is about the most important idea or detail, not the reason or aim: the main point of the article is that prices are rising.
Practice
What is the main purpose ___ this report?
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'the main purpose of something'. 'For' would need a different structure, such as 'for writing this report'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the main purpose of”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.