The difference between "given that" and "provided that" (CAE book reference)

Question

I don't understand the difference between "given that" and "provided that".

The tour wasn't as pleasant as we thought it would be, given that the coach broke down on the way.

[Source: CAE Book]

Given that presupposes its complement clause, whereas provided that does not, but rather leaves the matter hypothetical. Presupposition is one kind of semantic relation between clauses; there are others. — John Lawler, Commented Oct 11, 2015 at 15:48
“given that”, “if”, “providing that”, or “assuming”? on ELL — Ooker, Commented Feb 23, 2017 at 15:13

Graham Nicol · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-11 15:01:32Z

5

Given that in this sense really just means because. The above sentence means:

The tour wasn't as pleasant as we thought it would be because the coach broke down on the way.

Provided that means that some condition has to be met in order for something else to be true. An example might be:

We will have a pleasant tour provided that the coach does not break down.

Here, a pleasant tour will only be true if the condition the coach does not break down is met.

answered Oct 11, 2015 at 15:01

Graham Nicol

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Does 'given that' always mean because? Can we also use as long as in the above example instead of provided that? For example, We'll have a pleasant tour as long as the coach does not break down.
– Lara
Commented Oct 12, 2015 at 11:35

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madhurima · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-08 08:13:39Z

4

given that means knowing about or considering a particular thing .... In this case ...

The tour wasn't as pleasant as we thought it would be, given that the coach broke down on the way.

It means.... The tour wasn't as pleasant as we thought it would be, considering that the coach broke down on the way.

whereas, 'provided that' is used to replace if/only if eg. provided that the coach doesn't break down, our trip would be pleasant.

it means.. only if the coach doesn't break down, our trip would be pleasant.

(PS: I'm giving my CAE exam the next month )

answered Oct 8, 2016 at 8:13

madhurima

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1

Welcome to ELU.SE. madhurima, while your answer is fitting, this site strives to provide objective answers. As it stands your answer seems purely subjective and could be improved by adding references. Take the tour or have a look at the help center to find out more about good answers.
– Helmar
Commented Oct 8, 2016 at 9:27

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