Linking clauses by subordination

Expressing purpose

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Finite clauses of purpose are most commonly introduced by so that and normally contain a modal verb . Because the information contained in the purpose clause is normally new and important, it typically comes in the second part of the sentence:

He preferred a private invitation so that neither side could claim a propaganda advantage. (Bank of English)

However, the purpose clause may come first if the information it contains is less important than that contained in the main clause. In the following example, So that you can really make the most of these opportunities comes at the beginning of the sentence because it is summarising the previous paragraph:

To boost your final cash payout, you'll probably want to save a little more as you go along. With this in mind, Provident Reserve has been designed so that your monthly contributions increase gradually over the first five years of your plan . You'll find full details of this and other features of the Provident Reserve Savings Plan in the brochure enclosed.

So that you can really make the most of these opportunities, we have included a second application form for your partner or another member of your immediate family. (Bank of English)

In order that is less common and generally restricted to more formal contexts:

The Environment White Paper charts the extent to which progress has been made during the last year. These are listed as "credits" and "debits" in order that an accurate and fair picture is portrayed. (Bank of English)

So is quite common in spoken English:

I was specifically looking for a school with three Year One classes so each one could have their own space and grow up individually. (Bank of English)

Using so that, in order that and so
Using to, in order to and so as to