51 Conjunctions - Cause and Effect

Conjunctions are words that function as a link between clauses in sentences. They usually show how the meanings of two clauses are related to each other. {See Conjunctions, A1 Level}

In some cases these linking words are used to introduce clauses with the purpose to express the concept of cause or effect.

Below is a list of the most common linking words expressing cause and effect:

• Cause:
  • Clause + Because, Since/As + Clause;
  • Clause + Due to/Owing to + Gerund/Noun.
• Effect:
  • Clause + So, Therefore, As a result + Clause.

Cause

• Because
  • I used full fat milk because I did not have skimmed milk at home.
  • He did the ironing because his wife asked him to do it.
  • They traveled to India because they wanted to discover the Indian foods.
• Since/As
  • I decided to buy natural yoghurt since/as John wants to be healthy.
  • She was using sunflower oil since/as she ran out of olive oil.
  • Since/as we were not invited to the restaurant, we cooked sponge cake at home.
• Due to/Owing to
  • I sneezed due to/owing to the spices.
  • He doesn’t agree with her due to/owing to her ideas.
  • Our economy is getting better due to/owing to industry.

Effect

• So
  • There was no kiwi so I decided to eat some cherries.
  • He didn’t feel well so he didn’t visit us yesterday.
  • We were very hungry so we ordered a pizza.
• Therefore
  • “I think therefore I am.”
  • He wanted to buy a new house, therefore he saved a lot of money.
  • They found learning to surf too difficult, therefore they quit learning it.
• As a result
  • I couldn’t walk for a year as a result of the accident.
  • He was eating fast food every day and as a result he got very fat.
  • As a result of eating stale sponge cake, they got poisoned.

Linking words are used to connect two ideas within a phrase, showing cause or effect. These words can be Conjunctions, Transitions or Prepositions.

• Cause: Because, Since/As, Due to/Owing to are used to introduce the reason of a sentence;
• Effect: So, Therefore, As a result are used to introduce the results of a sentence.

Some Conjunctions can be used to introduce clauses with the purpose to express the concept of cause or effect. The most common linking words to express cause and effect are Because, due to/owing to, since/as (we use these words to express cause), so, therefore and as a result (we use these words to express effect).

For example:
— “Sausages are burnt because you cooked them too much.” = The reason that sausages are burnt is that you cooked them too much.
— “He baked too many cupcakes as a result we couldn’t eat all of them.” = He baked too many cupcakes, therefore we couldn’t eat all of them.

Let’s revise this content within the [Form] section. Take a look at the [Example] section which shows its use within a context.