SC doubts

by **varunrajwade** Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:59 pm

I have 2 SC doubts

i. When to use Based on and when to use Because of. I have seen prior threads and they say that Based on seems to modify the subject, but I am still confused about the distinction between them.

ii. When to use correlate to and when to use correlate with.

Please do let me know.

by **StaceyKoprince** Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:03 am

If you have specific questions which use these idioms, please post them. Idioms can be tricky without the context of a particular sentence.

If you start a dependent clause with "based on" that clause is deemed a noun modifier and must modify the noun it touches. (That could be the subject, depending upon the structure of the sentence.) For example:
Based on her feelings, he decided not to go through with his plans.

"based on her feelings" is a dependent clause and it is a noun modifier - meaning that the clause would have to modify "he." But "he" is not "based on her feelings" - his decision is based on her feelings. So you'd want an adverbial modifier there to allow you to modify the whole independent clause.

You might say, instead:
Responding to her feelings, he decided not to go through with his plans.
The -ing ending means we've got an adverbial modifier now.

Currently published retired CAT questions don't actually take a position on "correlate to" vs. "correlate with." I think "correlate to" came from the archaic phrase "in correlate to" - and that's a really archaic usage you just wouldn't see on the exam. My guess is that that phrase has led to the somewhat interchangeable usage nowadays of "correlate to" and "correlate with." Technically, the proper idiom is "correlate with" - but I really don't expect you to see that on this test because "correlate to" has become fairly accepted in standard language. I think we have a problem that tests this, actually, but I wouldn't worry about it for the official test.