Could I say 'for a traffic jam' to indicate ' due to a traffic jam' or 'because of a traffic jam'?
#1 Don't tell me that you were late due to a traffic jam.
#2 Don't tell me that you were late because of a traffic jam.
#3 Don't tell me that you were late for a traffic jam.
One of the usage of 'for' is to mean 'because of ', 'as a result of'. Could I say 'for a traffic jam' to indicate ' due to a traffic jam' or 'because of a traffic jam'? Thank you.
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Answers · 13
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No you can't. "Don't tell me that you were late for a traffic jam" is not correct.
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According to the "old" rules, only one is correct:
"I was late BECAUSE OF a traffic jam". ("because of" = preposition)
But in 2014, almost all Americans now accept "I was late DUE TO a traffic jam."
(If you want to follow the old rules, then "due" (an adjective) is used like this:" My lateness was DUE to a traffic jam.")
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late for something means you're not on time for that thing. ex: late for school/late for work. so, it's not correct.
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Thank you xarmanla!
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If you were late for a traffic jam, it means that you wanted to participate in one for some reason. Perhaps the traffic jam was a protest??
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