{caused by}

{because of }
Right: He failed {owing to } weak eyes.
{on account of}

Exercise:

1. The reason why I would not buy a Ford car is because it is
too light.

2. My second reason for coming here is because of social
advantages.

3. Because John is rich does not make him happier than I.

4. Because I like farming is the reason I chose it.

5. The only reason why vegetation does not grow here is because
of the lack of water.

=_is when_ or _is where_ Clauses=

=6. Do not use a _when_ or _where_ clause as a predicate noun. Do not
define a word by saying it is a "when" or a "where". Define a noun by
another noun, a verb by another verb, etc.=

Wrong: The great event is when the train arrives.

Right: The great event is the arrival of the train.

Wrong: Immigration is where foreigners come into a country.

Right: Immigration is the entering of foreigners into a
country.

Wrong: A simile is when one object is compared with another.

Right: A simile is a figure of speech in which one object is
compared with another.

Note.--A definition of a term is a statement which (1) names the class
to which the term belongs, and (2) distinguishes it from other members
of the class. Example. A quadrilateral is a plane figure having four
sides and four angles. To test a definition ask whether it separates the
term defined from all other things. If the definition does not do this,
it is incomplete. Define _California_ (so as to exclude other states),
_window_ (so as to exclude _door_), _star_ (exclude _moon_), _night_,
_rain_, _circle_, _Bible_, _metal_, _mile_, _rectangle_.

Exercise:

1. The pistol shot is when the race begins.

2. A snob is when a man treats others as inferior socially.

3. The wireless telegraph is where messages are sent a long
distance through the air.

4. The definition of usury is where one charges interest higher
than the legal rate.

5. Biology is when one studies plant and animal life.

=Undeveloped Thought=

=7. Do not halfway express an idea. If the idea is important, develop it.
If it is not important, omit it.=

Incomplete: We were now quite sure that we had lost our way,
and Jack said he had a business engagement that night.

Better: We were now