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My question is about the placement of "for instance" and whether it is better to place it before or after "at". The sentence is just an example, so you can use others if it helps. Thanks.

Velo-p
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3 Answers3

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Personally, I would be inclined to write "aims to help" rather than the more 'wordy' "aims at helping!.

Hence, I would write:
"This approach aims, for instance, to help single mothers."
"This approach aims to help, for instance, single mothers."

Personally, I do not have any particular preference for either option when there is only one example, but, if you might want to add more examples to the list, I would put the "for instance" as late as possible in the sentence, in order to avoid have to repeat it. For example:

"This approach aims to help, for instance, single mothers, and XYZ ...."

TrevorD
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I don't like the whole approach to this idea. I also don't like "aims at". It's weak. You can aim at something and still miss it entirely. If the approach is a broad stroke that helps a lot of different people including, for instance, single mothers, then maybe:

With this approach we can help anyone without adequate resources to support their dependents- single mothers, for example.

Jim
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You can find here that, for instance, a time adverbial (here "most often") can conveniently be placed between "aim" and "at". In no case would it be placed after "at".

(ref.) Such behaviour of the owners aims most often at the realisation of certain investment intentions of theirs to the detriment of the cultural heritage

"For instance" is not an adjunct, unlike "most often", but a conjunct (resultive conjunct). Examples for "for instance" are not easy to find, but examples with "therefore", which is another conjunct are available.

"aims at, therefore, …"would not be found very often, if at all; the place of this adverbial does seem natural only after "at".

(ref.) The strategy aims therefore at providing the individual authorities with a new framework for their digitalisation efforts up to 2010.

  • This approach aims, for instance, at helping single mothers.
LPH
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    I disagree. Surely the sense is "This approach aims at [various beneficial actions], for instance helping single mothers." – Kate Bunting Dec 16 '22 at 09:34
  • @KateBunting You are saying then that if "various beneficial actions" is added, it follows that "for instance" can be placed after "at"; I make no objection to that, but I do not consider this possible modification. Otherwise, are you saying that "This approach aims at for instance helping single mothers." is idiomatic? – LPH Dec 16 '22 at 09:44
  • No, I'm not saying that those words should be added. I put them in square brackets to show that 'for instance' introduces an example of the kind of thing they are aiming at. I do consider that the sentence is idiomatic provided that 'for instance' is enclosed in commas. – Kate Bunting Dec 16 '22 at 09:54
  • @KateBunting Then, you are saying that "This approach aims at, for instance, helping single mothers." is idiomatic. Is it your opinion in the end that both possibilities are equally valid? – LPH Dec 16 '22 at 10:03
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    I prefer the first to the second, for the reason I have given. As Barmar says, aims at is a set phrase. – Kate Bunting Dec 16 '22 at 10:04
  • @KateBunting It is rather strange though that I find no instances of the first one in Google Books, and several instances of the second (for other adverbials, as in my answer, I could find nothing for "for instance"). – LPH Dec 16 '22 at 10:07