New word: Catalyst

English as a Second Language Feedback, Comments and Suggestions
1

Hello everybody
I came across the word catalyst and wonder how it is used.
Can you guy help me?

  1. What preposition will it go with? “Of” or “for”?
  2. Is this sentence right?
    Smoking is the main catalyst of miscarriages and pregnancy complications
    Thank you so much
1 Like
2

I would say ‘smoking is the main reason for…’

1 Like
3

  1. I think of or for both can work. “a catalyst for change” “the catalyst of the reaction is”

  2. To me, catalyst has a fairly positive connotation. It is something you need to have for a reaction you want to happen. In scientific terms, it is a substance that does not take part in the reaction or is not consumed in the reaction, but is needed for the reaction to start. So your negative example doesn’t quite sound natural. On the other hand, “My constant cough was a catalyst for me finally deciding to quit smoking.” sounds fine.

2 Likes