Tuesday, November 5, 2019

meaning in context - 'I have decided to purchase a jet for getting to NYC and back more quickly.'


Are the following sentences grammatical or not? If not, does substituting a to-infinite make them grammatical? (Optional: designate if the sentence expresses purpose, reason, aim, or function)



1 I have decided to purchase a jet for getting to NYC and back more quickly.


2 I have decided to buy a jet for having a quicker way to get to NYC and back.



This is my only reason and aim; this will be the jet's only purpose and function.




3 I hate hairdryers, so I am buying a space heater for drying my hair more naturally, and that is my only aim & purpose & reason and that will be its only function


4 For having a lasting shine in your hair, buy ShineOn Shampoo.


5 My neighbor and I have decided to cooperate more for having a better life together.





Research done:


ELU How can I decide when to use “for” + “-ing” or “to” + [infinitive] in a sentence?


(Note the accepted answer here is a restatement of Cambridge Dictionary's For + -ing or to + infinitive?)


ELU Expressing a purpose with for + gerund?



ELU Can “for -ing” form be used after a noun to indicate the purpose of the noun?


BBC English To + infinitive and for + verb-ing to express purpose (Currently the best site I've found.)


ELL Clauses of purpose: “for + -ing” or "to-infinitive [duplicate]


All of which have answers that I find (i) incomplete (ii) contradictory (iii) terribly confusing, if not (iv) wrong. To sort through the haze, I am focusing on one issue.


Background


Some sources say that you need to use a to-infinitive for expressing purpose, aim, function, reason, etc. I find these to be rather hazy distinctions, given that the ODO defines purpose as The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists and the same work lists as synonyms for purpose: aim, reason, function, etc.


It is my assertion that at least some of the following sentences demonstrate that one can use the -ing form (be it a gerund, verbal noun, participle) to express individual purpose (aim, reason, function, intention, whatever you want to call it). Do you agree, or not? Why (not)?




In shorter terms, are the sentences grammatical? or do we have to substitute a to-infinitive (including in order to + infinitive) to make them grammatical? (Optional: designate if the sentence expresses purpose, reason, aim, function, etc.)




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