conditional on a change

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "conditional on a change" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing situations or outcomes that depend on a specific change occurring. For example: "The project will proceed conditional on a change in funding." Alternative expressions include "dependent on a change" and "contingent upon a change."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The proportion of changes that were increases and the proportion that were decreases constitute our maximum likelihood (ML) estimates for the probability of increase and probability of decrease, conditional on a change occurring.

International Journal of STEM Education

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

In 1992, when memories of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre were still vivid, Congress made the annual renewal of China's trading rights conditional on a range of changes in Beijing.

The New York Times

"No one wants to change a system that is completely, according to our analysis, catastrophic," said Philippe Manière, a former journalist and director of the Institut Montaigne, a research organization that developed proposals to save the press, among them making state subsidies conditional on a three-year period of change involving the modernizing of printing and distribution.

The New York Times

The ordinate represents the probability density for the coefficient value (i.e. the rate of change of the conditional mean of the natural gas price conditional on the change of GDP).

Energy, Sustainability and Society

While the CSG is not conditional on behavioural change it does have requirements, which need to be met by prospective recipients.

BMC International Health and Human Rights

Ferrovial, the Spanish owner of BAA, had also offered an additional 0.5% but this was conditional on changes to a sickness agreement, the union said.

The Guardian - Business

Conversely, a collapsible effect estimate conditional on a minimally sufficient adjustment set should change when estimated on this set minus any variable in the set.

BMC Medical Research Methodology

They are unconditional mean and the mean conditional on the time change that we call a random drift.

Probability, Uncertainty and Quantitative Risk

Conversely, the common assumption of "independently evolving sites" does not require that sites have uncorrelated histories or patterns of similarity, rather that changes at one site are not conditional on changes at other sites.

Biology Direct

Conditional on a woman's BMI trajectory up to age 43 years and breast size at mammography, changes in BMI thereafter were not associated with Wolfe grade.

British Journal of Cancer

But payments conditional on stock increase cattle production while payments conditional on stock-change have no effect on production.

Ecological Economics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Ensure that the noun following "on" clearly defines the event or shift that acts as the prerequisite.

Common error

A common mistake is using "conditional to a change". In English, the adjective "conditional" is almost exclusively followed by the prepositions "on" or "upon" when specifying the terms of the condition.

Linguistic Context

This is a prepositional phrase acting as a modifier. In most contexts provided by Ludwig, it serves to establish a logical or mathematical prerequisite. It typically follows a noun or an adjective to narrow the scope of a statement to a specific set of circumstances where a transition has occurred.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

55%

News & Media

25%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

1%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "conditional on a change" is a robust and sophisticated way to express dependency. According to Ludwig AI, it is particularly prevalent in Scientific and Academic writing, where it is used to define parameters of probability or experimental variables. While the exact phrase is categorized as Rare compared to more general idioms, its variants (such as "conditional on changes") are very common in high-authority sources like The New York Times and The Guardian. When using this phrase, remember that it strictly requires the preposition "on" or "upon". It is an excellent choice for writers who need to convey precise prerequisites in a professional or technical context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

dependent on a change

Uses a more common adjective to describe the same relationship of reliance

contingent upon a change

Higher formality level, often used in legal and business contracts

subject to a change

Implies that an outcome may be altered if a change occurs

conditioned upon a change

A very close structural match using the past participle

based on a change

Less specific about the requirement and more general about the foundation

determined by a change

Stronger causal implication than a simple condition

reliant on a change

Emphasizes the necessity of the change for the outcome to exist

pending a change

Suggests a waiting period until the change is implemented

if a change occurs

Shifts from a phrasal structure to a conditional clause

hinged on a change

Metaphorical phrasing suggesting the change is the central point of support

FAQs

How do I use "conditional on a change" in a sentence?

You can use it to explain that one event depends on another. For example: "The approval of the grant is "conditional on a change" in the project proposal".

What can I say instead of "conditional on a change"?

You can use alternatives like "dependent on a change", "contingent upon a change" or "subject to a change" depending on the context.

Is "conditional on a change" correct in scientific writing?

Yes, it is very common in science and statistics. Ludwig AI shows many examples in journals like PlosOne and BMC Medical Research, where it often refers to probabilities or variables that are measured after a specific change.

What's the difference between "conditional on a change" and "pending a change"?

While ""conditional on a change"" implies a strict dependency, "pending a change" primarily emphasizes that something is being held back or delayed until that change happens.