conjunction basics

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vscid: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 212; Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:19 pm; Thanked: 5 times

by vscid » Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:55 pm

Which is the preferred 'conjunction' to use in sentences like this one amongst 'in that/because/for/on account of':

The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.

OG indicates that 'in that' is overly formal and hence should be avoided. However, I remember reading somewhere that 'in that' is preferred to 'because'. How about 'for' v/s 'because' ?

The GMAT is indeed adaptable. Whenever I answer RC, it proficiently 'adapts' itself to mark my 'right' answer 'wrong'.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:55 pm

becnil: MBA Student; Posts: 170; Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:01 amFollowed by: 8 members; Location: Durham, NC; Thanked: 20 times; GMAT Score:740

by becnil » Tue Mar 30, 2010 10:35 pm

I think I was having the same confusion while preparing. I will suggest going with the GMAT preference and avoiding the use of "in that". Also, I think "for" can be used interchangeably in some cases with "because"; I have seen some examples of this use, but cannot recall exactly now.

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Stuart@KaplanGMAT: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 3225; Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:40 pmFollowed by: 614 members; Location: Toronto; Thanked: 1710 times; GMAT Score:800

by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Mon Apr 05, 2010 1:28 pm

vscid wrote:Which is the preferred 'conjunction' to use in sentences like this one amongst 'in that/because/for/on account of':

The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.

OG indicates that 'in that' is overly formal and hence should be avoided. However, I remember reading somewhere that 'in that' is preferred to 'because'. How about 'for' v/s 'because' ?

On the GMAT, avoid "in that" and "on account of" - those are both awkward constructions.

The tougher choice will be between "because of" and "due to".

Here's the general rule:

use "because of" if it allows you to answer a "why" question without a full sentence.

Why did the games help keep peace? Because of a truce.

"Due to" properly follows a version of the verb "to be"; for example:

The Yankees' loss was due to bad pitching.

Writing that same sentence with "because":

The Yankess lost because of bad pitching.

Stuart Kovinsky | Kaplan GMAT Faculty | Toronto

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ayushiiitm: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 216; Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:35 am; Location: Pune, India; Thanked: 5 times; GMAT Score:700

by ayushiiitm » Mon Apr 05, 2010 2:34 pm

Stuart Kovinsky wrote:
vscid wrote:Which is the preferred 'conjunction' to use in sentences like this one amongst 'in that/because/for/on account of':

The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.

OG indicates that 'in that' is overly formal and hence should be avoided. However, I remember reading somewhere that 'in that' is preferred to 'because'. How about 'for' v/s 'because' ?
On the GMAT, avoid "in that" and "on account of" - those are both awkward constructions.

The tougher choice will be between "because of" and "due to".

Here's the general rule:

use "because of" if it allows you to answer a "why" question without a full sentence.

Why did the games help keep peace? Because of a truce.

"Due to" properly follows a version of the verb "to be"; for example:

The Yankees' loss was due to bad pitching.

Writing that same sentence with "because":

The Yankess lost because of bad pitching.

Ill add some more thoughts to allow for more clarity

'Due to' always means caused by>> eg Yankees lost due to rain>>caused by rain
Because of is a two word preposition always used before a noun or a pronoun>>eg because of you

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vscid: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 212; Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:19 pm; Thanked: 5 times

by vscid » Mon Apr 05, 2010 3:18 pm

ayushiiitm wrote:
Stuart Kovinsky wrote:
vscid wrote:Which is the preferred 'conjunction' to use in sentences like this one amongst 'in that/because/for/on account of':

The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.

OG indicates that 'in that' is overly formal and hence should be avoided. However, I remember reading somewhere that 'in that' is preferred to 'because'. How about 'for' v/s 'because' ?
On the GMAT, avoid "in that" and "on account of" - those are both awkward constructions.

The tougher choice will be between "because of" and "due to".

Here's the general rule:

use "because of" if it allows you to answer a "why" question without a full sentence.

Why did the games help keep peace? Because of a truce.

"Due to" properly follows a version of the verb "to be"; for example:

The Yankees' loss was due to bad pitching.

Writing that same sentence with "because":

The Yankess lost because of bad pitching.

Ill add some more thoughts to allow for more clarity

'Due to' always means caused by>> eg Yankees lost due to rain>>caused by rain
Because of is a two word preposition always used before a noun or a pronoun>>eg because of you

So 'Yankees lost because of rain' is incorrect?

The GMAT is indeed adaptable. Whenever I answer RC, it proficiently 'adapts' itself to mark my 'right' answer 'wrong'.

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Stuart@KaplanGMAT: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 3225; Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:40 pmFollowed by: 614 members; Location: Toronto; Thanked: 1710 times; GMAT Score:800

by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Mon Apr 05, 2010 3:47 pm

vscid wrote: So 'Yankees lost because of rain' is incorrect?

Why did the Yankees lose?

Because of rain.

Nope, that's just fine.

Alternatively, you could say:

"Yankees' loss was due to rain."

In general terms:

They [did something] because of [something].

or

[Some event] was due to [something].

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kevincanspain: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 613; Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:17 amFollowed by: 64 members; Location: madrid; Thanked: 171 times; GMAT Score:790

by kevincanspain » Tue Apr 06, 2010 12:03 am

'in that' tells us in what sense something is true

Bob's childhood was unusual in that he had to do all the cooking.

These cities are alike in that they both have make great strides in eradicating poverty in the last 10 years.

The trip was remarkable in that there were absolutely no delays or mishaps.

I would not use 'because' in any of these examples.

Kevin Armstrong
GMAT Instructor
Gmatclasses
Madrid

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