Learn English – Sentences containing “refused to close his bar because”

adverbial-phrasesattachment-ambiguitymeaning

a. He refused to close his bar because of the pandemic.

b. He refused to close his bar because there was a pandemic.

Are the above sentences grammatically correct, and do they make sense?

The intended meaning is:

  1. He had to close his bar because of the pandemic and he refused to do it.

and not

  1. Because of the pandemic, he refused to close his bar.

I think both (a) and (b) are technically ambiguous, but within the given context, the absurd meaning would be immediately rejected.

Best Answer

Both of the sentences are grammatical, but you're right that they are either ambiguous or don't mean what you want them to mean.

To make the meaning explicitly clear, use despite instead of because:

  • He refused to close his bar despite the pandemic.

Alternatively, it could be said in the following ways::

  • He refused to let the pandemic close his bar.
  • He refused to close his bar during the pandemic.
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