Such as this and that

Posted by Pak Guru on March 22nd, 2016 | 0 comments | EAP, grammar, IELTS, signals, speaking, vocabulary, writing

There are many factors that can contribute to failure such as students do not manage their time well, or they are just lazy.

In this example, such as is followed by independent clauses whereas it should be followed by noun phrases:

• There are many factors that can cause students to fail such as bad time management, or just laziness.

If you really want verb phrases, then use for example:

• There are many factors that can contribute to failure, for example students do not manage their time well, or they are just lazy.

(Remember to put a comma before for example!)
Notice that for example is a more flexible signal as it can be used to introduce either a noun or a verb phrase. In the next example it is used to introduce nouns.

• There are many factors that can contribute to failure, for example financial pressure and physical injury.