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How to Replace "because" and "since" with a Semi-Colon

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Replace “because” and “since” in a sentence with a semi-colon to avoid creating an improper causal link between your clauses.

Here is an example:

“The 19th century immigrants to California experienced great hardship because it was a common experience for many migrants during those years.”

It is a logical mistake to imply that the REASON WHY the 19th century immigrants suffered in California BECAUSE it was common for migrants to experience hardships back then.

The two clauses are related but not in a causal way. They express similar realities experienced by different groups of immigrants. Thus they can be linked together in some other way.

A semi-colon is the perfect answer for the challenge.

Here is the corrected sentence:

“The 19th century immigrants to California experienced great hardship; a common experience for many migrants during those years.”

Another example:

“He succeeded despite ignoring all the warnings since that was a development that pleased his father the most.”

BETTER: “He succeeded despite ignoring all the warnings; a development that pleased his father the most.”

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