Writing Tips
http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional Links
-
Translation Bureau
Language Portal of Canada
-
TERMIUM Plus®
-
Index B
- back up
- backup
- bad (1)
- bad (2)
- badly
- bandwagon
- based on
- Batavo-
- B (billion)
- B.C.
- BC (1)
- BC (2)
- BCE
- be-
- be advised that
- bear a resemblance to
- beaver fever
- beaver-fever
- because of
- because of the fact that
- Before Christ
- Before the Christian Era
- Before the Common Era
- begin
- begin at
- begin by
- begin from
- begin on
- begin to do
- begin with
- beg off
- beg the question
- behaviour
- behavioural
- behaviourism
- Belgo-
- below
- beneath
- benefit by
- benefit from
- benefits of
- benefits to
- be of the opinion that
- Beothuk
- be prohibited from
- beside
- besides
- beyond a shadow of a doubt
- beyond the realm of possibility
- bi-
- biannual (1)
- biannual (2)
- bias
- biblio-
- bibliographies: arrangement
- bibliographies: articles
- bibliographies: author’s name
- bibliographies: book
- bibliographies: edition
- bibliographies: finding the information for an entry
- bibliographies: general
- bibliographies: order of precedence
- bibliographies: publishing information
- bibliographies: romanization
- bibliographies: secondary responsibility
- bibliographies: secondary source citations
- bibliographies: sources other than books and articles
- bibliographies: titles
- bibliographies: translation
- bibliographies: types of bibliography
- bibliographies: works in a series
- biceps
- biennial
- billion
- bimonthly
- birthday
- biweekly
- black-and-white thinking
- bloc
- block
- book off
- born
- borne
- Bosnian-Croatian
- both … and
- boy
- braces
- breach
- bread-and-butter
- breakthrough
- breech
- bridgeable
- bring
- bring a charge against
- bring into question
- bring into the open
- bring pressure to bear on
- bring to a close
- bring to a conclusion
- bring to an end
- bring to completion
- British Columbia
- British Columbian
- broach
- broad
- brooch
- Bulgaro-
- Bungee
- Bungi
- business letters: attention line
- business letters: block style
- business letters: body of the letter
- business letters: carbon copy notation
- business letters: complimentary close
- business letters: consistency
- business letters: date
- business letters: delivery (mailing) notation
- business letters: enclosure notation
- business letters: indent style
- business letters: inside address
- business letters: length
- business letters: letterhead
- business letters: margins
- business letters: model letter
- business letters: name of person; title; name of organization
- business letters: postscript
- business letters: reference initials
- business letters: reference line
- business letters: salutation
- business letters: signature
- business letters: spacing
- business letters: subject line
- by (1)
- by (2)
- by (a specified time)
- by foot
- by means of
- by reason of the fact that
- by virtue of
- by virtue of the fact that
Proactive Disclosure
Important notice
Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.
For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!
Search and Functionalities Area
virtue, by virtue of, in virtue of
The idiom by virtue of means “because of” or “on account of. ” The synonymous expression in virtue of is antiquated and found mostly in legal writing.
To write plainly, replace these expressions with because of, on account of or on the basis of.
- Because of (not by virtue of) their experience and knowledge of the issues, three research scientists were appointed to the committee.
- Corona was invited to join the yacht club on the basis of (not by virtue of) her mother’s standing as a founding member.
© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
Writing tools – Writing Tips
A product of the Translation Bureau
