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I think this is a shortened sentence (the highlighted portion), but I'm not sure. Please help me rewrite it into the full version as separated phrases so that it can be understood more easily.

...that alone can cost you a couple of hundred bucks. Given that the model we’re reviewing pushes $3,100 with a quad-core Skylake CPU and G-Sync 75Hz display, every freebie helps.

Usernew
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Luong Vu
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3 Answers3

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You could consider "given" as a preposition as defined in Oxford Online Dictionary:

Taking into account: 'given the complexity of the task, they did a good job'

It's easier to understand that way. If something is given to you, you might think about its use or purpose. That's what "given" means. It could be rephrased to:

Considering/Taking into account that the model (that/which) we're were reviewing...

In addition, the objective relative pronoun "that or which" is omitted between "model" and "we".

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SUPPLEMENTAL BACKGROUND:

The answers by Rathony and avid19 are excellent explanations of how you should understand this. I'd just like to add an explanation of why we use given this way.

Given is a term which derives from the classical study of logic and mathematics: it marks certain facts as "given" to you at the beginning of a discussion, a shorthand way of indicating that these facts are presupposed and form the basis of the following problem or conclusion.

Given the line AB, how do you find its center C?
Given that a) All humans can learn language, and b) Socrates is a human, we conclude that Socrates can learn language.

Your sentence "gives" you a fact:

The [cost of] the model [which] we’re reviewing pushes [ = comes close to] $3100 with [= when it is equipped with] a quad-core Skylake CPU and G-Sync 75Hz display

Given that fact, the reviewer concludes that

every freebie [ = every free feature] helps [ i.e., helps make the price affordable].

StoneyB on hiatus
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  • Thank you all for your informative answer. I think I'm understood quite well. I'd like to ask another question, to make me sure. Please tell me if it could be acceptable to understand this speech acceptably this way: (an original speech of Voldemort from Harry Potter series) - "She would, given her way, have us mate with them". Could it be "According to her way/ Considering things she has done/As we can barely see her plan, she probably/maybe she could've had us mate with them"? Forgive me if I spoilt his speech. – Luong Vu Nov 24 '15 at 15:28
  • @LuongVu No, this is a very different use of given. The participle phrase is 'bound' to she, and give has the sense allowed, so it means "If she were allowed to have her way" (that is, if she were permitted to do what she wants*), she would compel us to mate with them. – StoneyB on hiatus Nov 24 '15 at 21:02
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"Given that" here can be thought of as "because".

Because the model we're reviewing pushes $3,100, ...

The way to think about this is "given the following information". Other examples:

Given that it's raining, we should probably go inside.

Because it's raining, we should probably go inside.

Given that the wine is so expensive, I rarely drink it.

Because the wine is so expensive, I rarely drink it.

You can also make this a conditional by changing the position. For example

I will go to your party, given that Steve can also go.

This means that IF Steve can go, THEN I can go. This is different than "Given that Steve can go, I will go to your party". The latter means that Steve can go, so I am going.

  • It might work because you used *only clauses* after "given". However, if you put a phrase as in "given the complexity of the task, they did a good job", *because of* doesn't work. –  Nov 24 '15 at 11:48
  • @Rathony Don't you mean "because doesn't work, and has to be recast as because of"? – StoneyB on hiatus Nov 24 '15 at 12:37
  • @StoneyB Oh, I changed "because" to "because of" as a "phrase (the complexity of the task)" follows it. Does it sound weird? –  Nov 24 '15 at 12:38
  • @Rathony That's correct: because the complexity doesn't work, but because of* the complexity* does work. – StoneyB on hiatus Nov 24 '15 at 12:39