We useso thatandin order thatto talk about purpose. We often use them with modal verbs (can, would, will, etc.).So thatis far more common thanin order that, andin order thatis more formal:
I’ll go by carso thatI can take more luggage.
We left a message with his neighbourso thathe would know we’d called.
[on a website]
In order thatyou can sign the form, please print it out and mail it to this address.
We often leave outthataftersoin informal situations:
I’ve made some sandwichesso(that) we can have a snack on the way.
When referring to the future, we can use the present simple orwill/’llafterso that. We usually use the present simple afterin order thatto talk about the future:
I’ll post the CD todayso thatyougetit by the weekend.(or…so thatyouwillgetit …)
We will send you a reminderinorder thatyou arrive on time for your appointment.(or…so thatyou arrive on time …or…so thatyou’ll arrive on time …)
So that(but notin order that) can also mean ‘with the result that’:
The birds return every year around March,so thatApril is a good time to see them.
See also:
In order to