For All Intents and Purposes | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 “For all intents and purposes” is a phrase that means “practically speaking.” I’m Eva from QuillBot. Let’s look at the fuller meaning of “for all intents and purposes,” plus how to use it.

0:12 “For all intents and purposes” means “practically speaking,” “in effect,” or “essentially.” It’s used to say that something has the same practical outcome or result as something else.

0:23 In the example sentence, “He’s my son’s best friend, and for all intents and purposes, a member of our family,” the speaker is expressing that “he” is essentially or practically a member of their family, even if not technically so.

0:38 In British English, you may hear a slight variation of this phrase: “to all intents and purposes.” Even though the prepositions are different, both phrases mean the same thing and are used in the same way.

0:51 “For all intensive purposes” is a misspelling of “for all intents and purposes,” and is always incorrect. This common mistake comes from the combination of words “intents” and “and” sounding like “intensive.” But, “intensive” is an adjective meaning “concentrated or vigorous,” and doesn’t make sense in this phrase. If you have any doubts about writing this phrase correctly, use QuillBot’s Grammar Checker to make sure you get it right.