"Given That" as a Causal Conjunction in Technical English
5 exercises — practise using "given (that)" to state the accepted basis for a technical decision.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "given that" to introduce an accepted fact as the reason for a technical decision?
"Given that the API rate limit is 100 requests per minute, we batch our calls in groups of ten" is correct: "given that" introduces a clause stating an accepted fact, followed directly by the main clause with no extra connector. Option B misplaces "that". Option C redundantly adds "so" before the main clause. Option D wrongly turns "given" into a passive verb phrase, which changes the intended structure.
2 / 5
Choose the sentence that correctly drops "that" after "given" while still functioning as a causal conjunction (acceptable in less formal technical writing).
"Given the database is already under heavy load, we should schedule the migration for off-peak hours" is correct: "given" alone (with "that" omitted) can still introduce a finite clause as the accepted basis for the recommendation. Option B incorrectly inserts "of" before the clause. Option C changes the verb to a gerund and adds redundant "so". Option D misplaces "given" mid-sentence, breaking the intended causal structure.
3 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "given" as a past-participle modifier (meaning "specified" or "particular"), not as a causal conjunction?
"For any given input size, the algorithm's runtime grows logarithmically" is correct: here "given" is an adjective meaning "specific/particular", modifying "input size", with no causal clause involved. Option B incorrectly inserts "that" as if it were the causal conjunction. Option C misplaces "given" as though introducing a clause. Option D awkwardly appends "given that" at the end, breaking the noun phrase.
4 / 5
Select the sentence that correctly uses "given" followed by a noun phrase (not a full clause) to mean "considering" in a specification.
"Given the current constraints, the team recommends a phased rollout instead of a big-bang release" is correct: "given" + noun phrase means "considering/in light of", a compact way to state the basis for a recommendation. Option B incorrectly adds "that" before a noun phrase, which requires a full clause instead. Option C wrongly inserts "by", turning "given" into part of a passive construction. Option D reorders the phrase and adds a redundant "therefore".
5 / 5
Which sentence correctly distinguishes "given that" (stating an accepted premise) from "provided that" (stating a condition that must be met)?
"Given that the schema migration already ran successfully in production, we can safely deprecate the old column, provided that no service still reads it" is correct: "given that" states the already-true premise (the migration ran), while "provided that" states the necessary condition (no service reads the column) for the recommended action. Option A misuses "provided that" where a plain clause was needed and creates a confusing structure. Option C swaps the two connectors' logical roles. Option D scrambles "that" placement, breaking both clauses.