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I googled this words, but didn't find much. I read this sentence from a news source:

Fans will recall Mack's use of upward of 10 different starting lineups during the 2016-17 season.That resulted out of necessity and inconsistency – injuries and a six-game losing streak forced his hand in shuffling and reshuffling the starting lineup.

Is is "[resulted out of] necessity", which I would probably interpret as "result from necessity", or "result [out of necessity]"? Out of necessity means "because it is necessary", but what does resulted out of necessity mean?

This sentence reads confusing to me on several levels. It has been suggested that it could be interpreted as "That resulted out of necessity and resulted inconsistency..." However, result is an intransitive verb and can't take a direct object.

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  • NO, it has been suggested that it means: that resulted out of (was a consequence of, because of) necessity and inconsistency
    – user29952
    Nov 22, 2017 at 9:07
  • That is a demonstrative pronoun whose antecedent is "use of ...season".
    – TimR
    Nov 22, 2017 at 10:55

2 Answers 2

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The idiomatic expression is “out of”:

Out of:

used to show the reason why someone does something:

I took the job out of necessity because we had no money left. You might like to come and see what we're doing out of interest (= because I think you might be interested).

(Cambridge Dictionary)

So, out of necessity means, because of the necessity. The result was a consequence of the necessity.

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  • Thanks. I understand this perfectly. But your answer doesn't really explain the context or the sentence.
    – Eddie Kal
    Nov 22, 2017 at 6:17
  • @L.Moneta - what is still unclear?
    – user29952
    Nov 22, 2017 at 6:19
  • Well, as stated in the question, I already knew the meaning of "out of necessity". But it doesn't make sense to me in the context, which is the reason I started to suspect the particle phrase is "result out of".
    – Eddie Kal
    Nov 22, 2017 at 6:21
  • The meaning is: That (whatever it refers to) was the result of necessity and inconsistency. It was a consequence of those two factors. The wider context may clarify.
    – user29952
    Nov 22, 2017 at 6:24
  • So you are basically saying the sentence should be interpreted like this: "That resulted out of necessity and resulted inconsistency..." The issue with that explanation is result is an intransitive verb, and can't take a direct object.
    – Eddie Kal
    Nov 22, 2017 at 6:29
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I don't see how your interlocutor was getting to "resulted inconsistency".

That [i.e. the use of upward of 10 different starting lineups during the 2016-17 season] resulted out of [i.e. was an effect caused by] necessity and inconsistency.

The necessity: "a six-game losing streak forced his hand"

The inconsistency: shuffling and reshuffling the starting lineup (one assumes this was done because the performance of the players was "inconsistent", changing from one game to the next)

P.S. It is possible to say that "A resulted in B", where B is the result and A is the cause.

The garbled announcement over the intercom resulted in confusion among the passengers who were waiting on the train platform.

The garbled announced caused confusion.

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