Based on, on the basis of

On this page

• General information
• Based on
• On the basis of
  • Alternatives to avoid wordiness
• Additional information

General information

Based on and on the basis of don’t serve the same grammatical function in a sentence and shouldn’t be used interchangeably.

Based on

The participle phrase based on may only be used as an adjective, which means that it must have a noun to modify. It describes something that is derived from or founded on something else.

In each of the following examples, based on modifies a noun, providing further information about the subject of the sentence:

• A study based on public polling determined that many Canadians drive to work.
• Her designs based on vintage styles are a big hit.
• Movies based on true stories tend to be very popular.

On the basis of

On the basis of is a prepositional phrase. It is used adverbially to introduce a reason or an explanation for why or how something is done.

In each of the following examples, the expression on the basis of modifies the verb and gives readers more details about its meaning:

• Employees are appointed on the basis of [not based on] merit.
• The Board released guidelines on the basis of [not based on] the committee’s recommendations.
• The judge made a decision on the basis of [not based on] precedent.

Alternatives to avoid wordiness

In many contexts, on the basis of is considered to be overly wordy. To write plainly and concisely, try replacing it with on or according to:

• Employees are appointed on merit.
• Employees are appointed according to merit.

You can also reword the sentence to use the verb phrase based on:

• The judge based her decision on precedent.

Additional information

• Participle, participle phrase
• Prepositional phrase
• Grammar terms
• Less is more: Eliminating “on a… basis” (Favourite Articles)
• Clear communication: Use clear words and expressions
• Correspondence and addresses – Guidelines and resources

Quizzes

• Commonly misused phrases: Not so easy to spot
• Types of phrases: Is it a participle phrase, gerund phrase or other phrase?
• Types of phrases: Is it a noun phrase, verb phrase or other phrase?