[quote author=Hzin link=topic_id=5060&post_id=30318#rmsg_30318 date=1379223804]Noun + の + ため + の + Noun
Verb (plain nonpast) + ため + の + Noun
for [the sake of ...]
for [the purpose of doing something]
[/quote]
Could you please give an example for the two constructions? Thank you!
ため is a noun, and you can generally think of it as "purpose" or "reason." It functions grammatically the way nouns normally do, so you can use it with a verb (雨が降っているため), an adjective (寒いため), or a noun + の (台風のため). When used as part of an adverb phrase giving a reason, it's frequently seen as ために.
から is a conjunction - it's a lot more like English "because." Unlike ため, you can use it with です・ます verbs as well as plain form; also unlike ため, it needs to follow です or だ when used with a noun (雨だから).
Both of the example sentences that go with the Kao pictures on this page are for the second grammar point on the page, even though the first one is shown next to grammar point 1.
In the user notes under the first usage of ため(に) it differentiates that including に transforms the meaning from causative (because of A) to “for/for the sake of”. However the ために quick examples and example sentences don’t seem to use it in this way. Can anyone confirm in what way the particle に modifies ため and when to use it?
ため usually indicates a cause and ために usually indicates a purpose, but it's not absolute.
Research suggests it's about a 70%-30% split for both (taken from *):
You can differentiate the meanings based on either construction (only the first meaning allows adjectives) or by context - an uncontrollable action/situation (e.g. rain or traffic) would signal a cause, while a controllable one, a purpose.