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hmano
Do they have the same meaning?
- with a view to
- with the aim of
- for the purpose of
Mar 30, 2016 11:42 AM
Answers · 6
1
To add to the other answers, Kenny Wong's example of "I have a view to sell" is unnatural and wrong. The expression is always ".... with a view to + noun / -ing". See http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/with-a-view-to-doing-sth
I looked up "with a view to" on this sentence database. http://fraze.it/n_search.jsp?hardm=1&t=0&l=0&p=5&q=with+a+view+to
The majority of the examples were British, but there were also a few Australian ones and quite a few American ones (including from "Time" magazine). Cambridge only lists the phrase in the British English version of its dictionary. Based on these sources, and what Lee says, I would say that the expression is more popular among British and Australian writers but would still be acceptable in the USA. My guess is that many Americans would consider it too formal but I'd be open to challenge on this.
March 30, 2016
1
In American English, I would not say "with a view to". The other two are okay, but I prefer "for the purpose of".
March 30, 2016
1
1 and 2 are very close in meaning. "with the aim of" is very clear and direct. "with a view to" can suggest a less direct link between cause and effect, or that the effect is further away from the action.
"for the purpose of" means the same as "with the aim of" but actually it's not commonly used. For me, it's not a natural collocation. There could also be a confusion with the expression "for the purposes of" which is used in the specific context of defining terms in a discussion. So I don't recommend using "for the purpose of".
March 30, 2016
They are similar in their meanings ; the choice is which "noun" you want to emphasis .
- with a view to >With the hope /intention to
- with the aim to > with the goal to
- for the purpose of > in order to /to
I want to buy this house now ; I have a view to sell it for a good profit.
I want to buy this house now with the goal of selling it at the highest price later.
I want to buy this house now for the purpose of making a good profit later
= I want to buy the house now( in order) to make a profit later.
March 30, 2016
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hmano
Language Skills
English, Hungarian
Learning Language
English
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