Word usage (for vs. because)

[27029450]

Could you let me know about what difference of usage between ”because” and ”for” which have the same meaning of reason.

[Mister Micawber]

.
To quote Michael Swan:

Because puts more emphasis on the reason, and most often introduces new information. When the reason is the most important part of the sentence, the because-clause usually comes at the end. It can also stand alone.

For introduces new information, but suggests that the reason is given as an afterthought. For-clauses never come at the beginning of sentences, and cannot stand alone. For used in this sense is a formal written style.

That about sums it up.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Jamie (K)]

Just to add to what Mister Micawber said, I'd recommend not using for or as in this way when speaking. They're very unusual in speech.

[Jotham]

For clauses certainly do come at the beginning of sentences. This is because for is a coordinating conjunction, so the clause is independent (and can stand alone). Apparently, Michael Swan wrongly thinks the conjunction is subordinate as he confuses its causal meaning with subordinates because and as.

In fact, for clauses are often seen at the beginning of a sentence in the real world, just as appropriately and correctly as you see and and but at the beginning of a sentence -- provided it isn't a fragment.

[Mister Micawber]

Hello, Jotham-- and welcome to English-test.

Could you supply an example of a fronted 'for' clause from some authentic source? I cannot think of one.

Thanks.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Jotham]

I'd love to. If you don't have Bryan Garner's Modern American Usage, I think that is a superb source for getting balanced advice from a prescriptive point of view. Garner understands the world of linguists and keeps up with their views, and researches examples in the real world of writers and journalists to back him up.

Garner's examples of "for" at the beginning of independent clauses are thus:

[Mister Micawber]

You (and Garner) are confusing utterances and 'sentences', Jotham. All of the 'for' clauses that you have presented follow upon the previous independent clauses semantically; they carry no meaning otherwise, so they are not independent. Notice that they always 'come at the beginning of sentences' because there is no following clause at all. Whether there is merely a period or not does not define a meaningful sentence. Your examples are, in prescriptive parlance, merely fragments.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Jotham]

[Mister Micawber]

Yes, I am just playing with you. Linguists take different views of what a complete, independent utterance is, and if you think 'Yoicks!' is one, then I'm not really interested in arguing about whether final punctuation makes the sentence or not. However, you chose to argue originally outside the point being made: that 'for' (like 'and' and 'but', incidentally) cannot start a sentence– a complex or compound sentence.

You can write:

I threw up, because I was sick / Because I was sick, I threw up.

But you cannot write:

(X) For I was sick, I threw up instead of I threw up, for I was sick.

Just as you cannot write:

And I threw up I was sick instead of I was sick and I threw up.

If you have something to say against that, then do so, but otherwise, you have simply hijacked the thread.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Nehalmayur]

As because says something else , emphasize to an important reason for example. because you didn't come.

for is not one with because as i guess, please share an example with us

Regards

[Mister Micawber]

There are some examples above, Nehalmayur. What other examples would you like? (Please be specific.)
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Jotham]

[Mister Micawber]

Yes to your first and the second was my own comment (not Swan's), and he says nothing there about your third enquiry. The section is only discussing the first question (about the 1st of 2 clauses).
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Nehalmayur]

i guess that was straightforward Mister's

Well i would say again i was saying about related query :P

Regards

Royals