Basic notes about expressing cause
The term ‘’cause ‘’ refers to one thing that makes another thing happen (effect). In expressing cause, we aim at showing the connections between causes and results. The ways and expressions used to do this are illustrated in the tables below.
It is useful to note that most expressions can be used at the beginning of sentences as well as in the middle. Examples:
- We didn’t play football because it was raining.
- We didn’t play football as it was raining.
- We didn’t play football since it was raining.
- Because it was raining, we didn’t play football.
- As it was raining, we didn’t play football.
- Since it was raining, we didn’t play football.
Expressing cause using expression+clause
| Expression | Example |
| Because | The flight was canceled because the winds were strong. |
| As | The flight was canceled as the winds were strong. |
| Since | The flight was canceled since the winds were strong. |
| For | The flight was canceled for the winds were strong. |
Using expression+noun to express cause
| Expression | Example |
| Because of | The flight was canceled because of the strong winds. |
| Caused by | The cancellation of the flight was caused by the strong winds. |
| The cause of | The cause of the cancellation of the flight was the strong winds. |
| The reason for | The reason for the cancellation of the flight was the strong winds. |
| Due to | The cancellation of the flight was due to the strong winds. |
| Owing to | The flight was canceled owing to the strong winds. |
Exercise
Use the words between brackets to rewrite these sentences
- Rick was very quiet because the baby was sleeping. (as)
- Vicky got a vacuum cleaner because she wanted to clean the house. (for)
- Joe went to the store because he needed food. (due to)
- Kay ate a bowl of soup because she was feeling sick. (because of)
- Troy stopped the car because the light turned red. (since)
- Jenny raised her hand because she had a question. (owing to)
- Katie ate all of her breakfast because she was hungry. (because of)
- 3. I was late for school today because my alarm never went off. (the reason for)
- Frank dropped his Batman toy because he didn’t hold it tightly. (for)
- Nana baked me a cake because it was my birthday. (used to)
- We sold our car because we needed a bigger one.
- My sunflower grew quickly because it had water and sun. (caused by)
- Sue dislikes carrots because she ate one and got sick. (the cause of)
- We missed the golf match because our car broke down. (owing to)
