Friday, October 17, 2014

"Based on" vs. "On the basis of"

The phrases based on and on the basis of are often used interchangeably but should not be, because based on is a participle (a verbal adjective), which can define a noun, pronoun and noun phrase (but not a verb) whereas on the basis of is a prepositional phrase, which can define a verb. Examples of the different information transmitted by their correct usage are [The administration sent a document based on your suggestion] and [The administration sent a document on the basis of your suggestion]. In the former, based on rightly describes the nearest noun (a document) and so tells us that you had something to do with the content of the document; in the latter, on the basis of describes the verb (to send) and tells us that the idea of sending the document (rather than perhaps taking it in person) was yours.


http://www.asiaandro.com/ec/EC4.pdf

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