“BASED ON” (ACTUAL EXAMPLE)



THE PROBLEM REVEALED AND EXPLAINED:


Consider a silly parallel: “Based on the weather, I’m going for a walk.” Well, I’m not based on the weather! Nor, in this example, are parents based on the discussion in Chapter One.

Based on properly takes a form of the verb to be, implicit or explicit. [Something] “is based on” [something else]. In the example, we could say it’s “our recommendation that parents might do such-and-such” that “is based on” the earlier discussion.

Typically, the main subject of the sentence should be the thing that is based on what follows the phrase based on. The edit in the preceding paragraph would look like this: “Based on what we said in Chapter One, our recommendation is that parents. . . .”

Or we can simply rephrase to avoid based on. See the two edits below.

THE EDIT:


“. . . other goals might change. From what we said in Chapter One, we can see that parents might have as a goal. . . .”

or:

“. . . other goals might change. On the basis of what we said in Chapter One, parents might set a goal. . . .”

 

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  1. TEN EASY FIXES


  2.   1. based on

  3.   2. dangling modifier

  4.   3. different

  5.   4. due to

  6.   coming soon:

  7.   5. is comprised of

  8.   6. not only but also

  9.   7. provide

  10.   8. robust (and other buzzwords)

  11.   9. singular-they

  12. 10. the following

 

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