I just made the mistake of using "Auditory" in the context of auditing. For example:
"We need to include that information, for auditory purposes."
After I sent my e-mail, I was embarrassed to find out that "auditory" refers to hearing.
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Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.– tchrist ♦Commented Aug 20, 2018 at 20:01
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1It should be noted that the derivation of "audit" is from the Latin for "to hear", so "auditory" is not technically incorrect (though it would certainly confuse many).– Hot LicksCommented Sep 20, 2018 at 2:27
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Just use audit. For audit purposes. On a side note, I'm not sure that the comma is justified. And the hyphen in email certainly isn't.– RegDwigнtCommented Oct 20, 2018 at 4:20
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2 Answers
Auditing
As a Native North American English speaker I would say, "We need to include that information, for auditing purposes."
Source http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/participle.htm
Source -https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participle
Source - https://www.englishgrammar.org/participles/
Source - https://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/present_participle.htm
"Auditing" in this case is used as a present participle. "Audited" can be used as the past participle.
For example, "Our data is stored in audited databases." And, "E & Y reviewed the auditing logs."
In my experience this usage is common in the Eastern United States.
answered Aug 17, 2018 at 19:22
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1That's a noun, not an adjective! Our purposes are more auditing than yours? Or are yours very auditing? Doesn't smell like an adjective to me: it's a noun. Not that he needs an adjective.– tchrist ♦Commented Aug 17, 2018 at 20:09
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1@tchrist However if I say "Do you require that for medical or auditing purposes?", is it the case that "medical" qualifies as an adjective, but "auditing" doesn't?– WS2Commented Aug 17, 2018 at 21:03
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@tchrist I think it is technically a participle, which I believe can be used as an adjective. chompchomp.com/terms/participle.htm Commented Aug 17, 2018 at 23:40
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I’m sorry, but your reference is wrong. To say that “participles” can be part of multiword verbs or be nouns or be adjectives is using that word in a highly nonstandard way that runs counter to modern analysis, where by “modern” I mean anything within living memory of anyone alive today. That’s just saying that a participle is any -ing word deriving from the base form of a verb. That’s a morphological criterion, not one that describes a word’s part of speech the way verb, noun, adjective and all do. It’s no adjective because it doesn’t let you do adjective things to it, (continued)– tchrist ♦Commented Aug 18, 2018 at 0:23
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1One last demo that this is not an adjective here: flipping the first two words, both putative adjectives by your account, in “intensive auditing purposes”, produces “auditing intensive purposes” which means something completely different grammatically. It parses differently. Changing “great green dragon” into “green great dragon” may sound funny, but it doesn’t require a radical reassignment of parts of speech the way the other does. Hence, the first is not a pair of adjectives.– tchrist ♦Commented Aug 18, 2018 at 0:38
I'm not recommending the phrasing when I say 'auditorial' works in your example sentence:
We need to include that information, for auditorial purposes.
I'm sure there are better ways to put it, depending on context and intention. For example:
- We need to audit that information.
- That information must be included for the audit.
- Etc.
From OED:
auditorial, adj.
...
2. Of or pertaining to auditors of accounts; connected with an audit.
In your example, the purposes are connected with an audit.
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'auditorial' may well be literally correct, but it really sounds like you're talking about hearing. I'd suggest the noun attribute, as in 'audit purposes'.– MitchCommented Mar 17, 2019 at 21:46
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@Mitch, I think the caveat is well enough embedded in the answer. To me, "audit purposes" sounds redundant, flabby businessese: an audit has purpose all on its own. Hence, my examples of better ways to put it.– JELCommented Mar 17, 2019 at 22:29