go somewhere for/to work

[Sitifan]

1. He went to London for work.
2. He went to London to work.
Are the above sentences acceptable?
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Thank you very much for your reply.

[Molly]

Yes.

[Niaz10]

yaa... this is so good. thanks

[Barb_D]

They have slightly different meanings, however. Last week, I went to Denver for work. That means that my job required that I go there. I went there for the purpose of work, not pleasure. It implies a transitory time there.

Have you ever been to London? Yes, but only for work. I didn't get to do any sight-seeing.

If you go somewhere "to" work, it sounds as though your job is now there.

[Molly]

But you can also say:

A: I'll be in London next week, so we can't meet up as usual.
B: Oh, London. I'm jealous. So much to see there.
A: Ah, I wish I had the time for sightseeing. It's a conference. I'm going to work, not to enjoy myself.

[Barb_D]

That's not how I'd say it in American English. While I can imagine someone saying "I went to work not to have fun" I'd be much more likely to say "I went there for work, not fun."