Why did Southwest pull out? Talking about purpose
Every decision an airline makes has a goal behind it. When we want to explain the reason an action is meant to achieve — not what happened, but what it was for — we use a purpose clause. News reports are full of them: a carrier moves into a busy hub to attract business travellers, or trims its network so that it can keep costs down.
English gives us a few ways to do this. The choice depends on how formal the sentence is and whether the two clauses share the same subject.
- to + infinitive — the everyday choice when the subject stays the same: Southwest entered O’Hare to attract corporate flyers.
- in order to / so as to + infinitive — a touch more formal: The airline pulled out in order to concentrate on cheaper airports.
- so that + clause — used when the subject changes or a modal (can, could, would) is needed: It standardised its fleet so that crews could switch aircraft easily.
One trap to avoid: don’t use for + -ing to express a person’s purpose. Write “He raced through the terminal to catch his flight,” not “…for catching his flight.”
Try it: fill the gaps
Complete each gap with one item from the word bank. Two answers are simply to; the others use a different structure. Together the sentences describe how Southwest walked away from two major hubs.
Word bank: in order to · so as to · so that · to · to
- Five years ago, Southwest moved into O’Hare and Dulles __________ attract business travellers at two major hubs.
- It standardised a single aircraft type __________ crews could switch between planes with very little retraining.
- When the experiment failed, the carrier decided to pull out completely __________ concentrate on airports that suit its low-fare model.
- It kept all of its Chicago flights at Midway __________ protect the simple, low-cost schedule its passengers rely on.
- The airline has even dropped open seating and added bag fees __________ compete more directly with its larger rivals.
Want to hear purpose clauses the way crews actually use them when they explain their intentions? Spend ten minutes in our Listening Library.