Longman - Longman Essay Activator

noun [countable] the reason why you do something, and the thing that you want to achieve when you do it:

He did not tell them about the purpose of his visit.

The main purpose of education is to help people to lead satisfying and productive lives.

The main purpose of the changes is to reduce costs and improve the service to customers.

The United Nations was established for the purpose of protecting basic human rights.

The information will be used for research purposes.

Many plants from the rainforest are used for medical purposes.

objective noun [countable] the thing that someone is trying to achieve, especially in business or politics:

The policy has three main objectives: firstly, to increase food production; secondly, to improve the distribution of food; and finally, to improve the diet of ordinary people.

The principal objective of any company is to make money for its shareholders.

The government is unlikely to achieve its long-term objective of cutting CO2 emissions.

goal noun [countable] something that a person or organization hopes to achieve in the future, even though this may take a long time:

It took Mandela over forty years to achieve his goal of a democratic South Africa.

The company's long-term goal is to be the market leader in this type of technology.

World leaders have set themselves the goal of getting rid of child poverty.

target noun [countable] the exact result, often a number or an amount of something, that a person or organization intends to achieve:

The University is expected to reach its target of 5000 students next September. (=achieve its target)

They failed to meet their target of having a computer in every classroom.

He set himself the target of raising over $1 million for cancer research.

intention noun [uncountable and countable] something that you intend to do:

Their intention was to sail on February 10th, but bad weather made this impossible.

She went to Hollywood with the intention of starting a career in movies. (=that was the reason she went there)

Rafsanjani said that Iran had no intention of developing nuclear weapons. (=they definitely did not intend to do this)

The reader can never be 100% sure of the writer's original intentions.

It was never their intention to encourage people to break the law.

It is not my intention here to give a detailed account of all the events that led up to the war.

mission noun [countable] something that a person or organization hopes to achieve, which they consider to be very important and forms the basis of their activities:

The agency's mission is to provide medical and psychological help to victims of the war.

Our mission is to educate people about the disease.

The students are on a mission to record and preserve the history of their area. (=they are trying hard to do something, because they feel it is very important)

the point noun [singular] the purpose of doing something and the reason why it is right or necessary:

The point of the experiment is to show how different metals react with oxygen.

People sometimes find it difficult to see the point of studying subjects such as Latin at school. (=they find it difficult to understand why it is necessary)

He felt that his critics were completely missing the point. (=they failed to understand the most important purpose or reason for something)

ends noun [plural] the result that someone is trying to achieve, when this is bad or dishonest:

Several politicians were accused of trying to exploit the situation for their own ends. (=use it in order to get advantages for themselves)

The terrorists will do almost anything to achieve their ends.

Approximate / Exact

Words meaning approximately

Words meaning exactly

1. Words meaning approximately

approximately adverb used when saying that a number or amount is not exact, and it may be a little more or a little less:

Approximately 30% of adults who have the disease will die from it.

The last earthquake of this size occurred approximately 60 years ago.

In 1994, the U.S. Government paid farmers approximately $10 billion in grants.

STUDY NOTE: Grammar

Approximately is more formal than about, and is usually used in more technical contexts.

about adverb used when saying that a number or amount is not exact, and it may be a little more or a little less:

They arrived at about 10 o'clock in the evening.

It takes about 2 hours from London to Leeds on the train.

There were about 50 people at the meeting.

roughly adverb approximately - used especially when you are trying to give someone a general idea of the size, number, or amount of something:

The two countries are roughly the same size.

Roughly half of all Italy's gas is imported.

The amount of caffeine in one can of cola is roughly equivalent to four cups of coffee. (=it contains about the same amount)

(somewhere / something) in the region of approximately. Used with very large numbers or amounts:

A new stadium would cost somewhere in the region of $100 million.

The painting is worth something in the region of £15,000.

circa preposition used before a year, usually one that is long time ago, to say that something happened near that time, but perhaps not exactly in that year:

The house dates from circa 1600.

The picture shows a building under construction, circa 1848.

STUDY NOTE: Grammar

Circa is originally a Latin word, meaning 'about'.

The written abbreviation of circa is c or c. , and this is often used instead of the full form:

He was born c 1830.

Heston, who died c. 1357, was a noted academic. or more

10 years / 20% / 100 kilos etc or more used when the total may be a lot more, and you want to emphasize that this is a large amount:

It can take 6 months or more to get a visa.

Olson weighed 250 pounds or more.

2. Words meaning exactly

exactly adverb no more and no less than a particular number, amount, or time:

They finished at exactly 6pm.

Every patient received exactly the

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