sometime, some time, due to, owing to

[Ju]

Would you explain and correct for me :

1) sometime = at some time

• I will meet him sometime around 8:00 this evening.

2) some time = for some period of time

• I will stay with him some time around one hour.

(Actually, I want to say I will stay with him around one hour time, but I want to try to make a sentence with "some time")


3) What is the usage guideline for "Owing to / due to"?

a) I was not able to join the party due to the flight delay from China.
b) Owing to the fact that the flight was late from China, I was not able
to join the party.
c) Owing to the flight delay from China, I was not able to join the party.

Thanks

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by Ju

Would you explain and correct for me :

1) sometime = at some time

• I will meet him sometime around 8:00 this evening.

2) some time = for some period of time

• I will stay with him some time around one hour.

(Actually, I want to say I will stay with him around one hour time, but I want to try to make a sentence with "some time")


3) What is the usage guideline for "Owing to / due to"?

a) I was not able to join the party due to the flight delay from China.
b) Owing to the fact that the flight was late from China, I was not able
to join the party.
c) Owing to the flight delay from China, I was not able to join the party.

Thanks

1. Correct.
2. The use of "some time' is indeterminate, so it is directly compatible with a specific time frame. You could use it like this:

I stayed there for some time, probably about an hour.

3. Owing to/due to/because of/ are pretty much interchangeable.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

...
3. Owing to/due to/because of/ are pretty much interchangeable.

I've come across a prescription that 'due to' requires an antecedent noun. This means that while The delay was due to the bad traffic is 'OK' Due to the bad traffic there was a delay is 'wrong'. This prescription is on the wane, but in formal language, in BE, it is still sometimes observed; it's safer, when in the presence of influential and misinformed pedants, to start sentences with 'Owing to' rather than 'Due to'.

b