Friday, February 17

Grammar tips

Today we will take a look at some confusing words and expressions that might cause you trouble while writing.

Accept and Agree

Before an infinitive, we usually use agree, not accept: “I agreed to meet the Ambassador in the United Nations.”

As, Because, Since and For

These four words can be used to refer to the reason for something. But they are not used in the same way.

As and Since are used when the reason is already known to the reader, or when it is not the most important part of the sentence. And they often come at the beginning of sentences:

• “As we could not reach an agreement, we must insist on signing a cease-fire.”
• “Since the United States is not willing to compromise, Iran is still not committed to the Nuclear Deal.”

Because puts more emphasis on the reason, and most often introduces new information that is not known to the reader: “Because the Amazon rainforest is so important, every country is worried about its deforestation.” 

For introduces new information, but suggests that the reason is given as an afterthought. For-clauses can never come at the beginning of sentences and cannot stand alone. It is most common in a formal written style: “Brazil's new President is traveling to many countries to restore shaken relations, for the former leader had burned some bridges.”