Sift through means to examine a large amount of material carefully to find what you need: sift through hundreds of applications, old photos, customer feedback. The image is from baking: sift flour, shaking it through a sieve so the lumps stay behind. The point isn't to read everything but to filter it.
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sift through documents / evidence / applications; sift out useful information
- We sifted through the applications to find candidates with teaching experience.
- She is sifting through old photographs for the exhibition.
- The team sifted through the feedback and identified three recurring complaints.
What changed
First versionWe sifted through the applications for finding suitable candidates.
RevisionWe sifted through the applications to find suitable candidates.
For finding looks like it explains the purpose, the way for fun or for work does. But the reason someone did something is usually shown with to + verb: sifted through the applications to find candidates. It's shorter and sounds natural.
Look through means scan quickly: look through a magazine. Sift through means search carefully, filtering out what you don't need. Pore over means study one document closely: pore over a contract.
Your turn
Choose the purpose form: We sifted through the receipts ___ the missing purchase.
Show the answer
to find — The purpose of an action is shown with to + verb: to find. For + -ing names what a thing is used for, as in a tool for cutting, not why someone did something.
Describe a pile of emails, photos or papers you searched through and what you were looking for.
We sifted through the comments to find suggestions about wheelchair access.
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