To-infinitive of purpose: saying why
A to-infinitive after an action tells you why someone does it — "got up early to catch the train," "called the hotel to change my booking." For emphasis use "in order to"; for a negative purpose, "so as not to."
Read the sentences below, then practice the whole lesson with audio.
- 1I got up early to catch the first train.
- 2She went to the market to buy fresh vegetables.
- 3He’s studying hard to pass the driving test.
- 4We stopped at a café to rest for a while.
- 5I called the hotel to change my booking.
- 6She turned on the lamp to read her book.
- 7They moved to the city to find better jobs.
- 8I’m learning Spanish to talk with my cousins.
- 9He raised his hand to ask a question.
- 10To stay healthy, I walk to work every day.
- 11We arrived early in order to get good seats.
- 12She spoke quietly so as not to wake the baby.
- 13Did you come here to see the manager?
- 14She’s going to Busan to visit her grandparents.
- 15Press this button to start the machine.
FAQ
- How does this dictation practice work?
- Play a sentence, type exactly what you hear, then press check — Dictation Trainer shows word-level feedback: which words you misheard, misspelled, confused for a homophone, or missed.
- Do I need an account, and is it free?
- You can read the sentences here without signing up. To practice with audio and save progress, create a free account — practice runs on Echoes you earn for free, starting with 100.
- What level is this lesson?
- This lesson is graded A2 on the CEFR scale and has 15 sentences. Dictation Trainer lessons currently run from A1 to B2, with more lessons on the way.