Conjunctions of Cause and Effect

In everyday conversation, we often have to give reasons for why we did something, or explain the result of an event.

To construct sentences that show Reason and Result, we use the group of Conjunctions of Cause and Effect.

There are two types of conjunctions in this group:

  1. Conjunctions that introduce the CAUSE (Reason).
  2. Conjunctions that introduce the EFFECT (Purpose/Result).

1. Showing CAUSE

This group of words is used to answer the question Why?. The clause that follows these words is the reason.

Because

This is the most common and strongest cause-and-effect conjunction. It is used to provide the main reason or new information that is not yet known by the listener.

  • I didn’t go to school because I was sick.
  • Because it was raining, the match was canceled.

Note: If Because is at the beginning of the sentence, use a comma in the middle. If Because is in the middle, no comma is needed.

Since & As

Their meaning is exactly the same as because, but since and as are used when the reason is already known by the listener or the reason is less important than the result.

  • Since you are already here, let’s start the meeting.
  • We decided to walk as the weather was so beautiful.

Tip: Don’t confuse since as a time word with since as a reason word. The context of the sentence will clarify its meaning.

2. Showing EFFECT or PURPOSE

This group of words is used to show the result, goal, or intention of an action.

So That

Used to show the purpose of an action. It is usually followed by can, could, will, or would.

  • Please speak louder so that everyone can hear you.
  • I woke up early so that I wouldn’t be late.

In Order That

This is a much more formal form of so that. It is very rarely used in casual conversation, but often found in academic or formal writing.

  • The government closed the road in order that repairs could be made.

Be Careful: Because vs. Because of

This is the most frequent grammatical mistake made by learners. Both mean “because”, but their usage rules are 100% different!

  • Because is a Conjunction. It must be followed by a full sentence (Subject + Verb).

    • Correct: We stayed home because it rained. (Because + full sentence).

  • Because of is a Preposition. It MUST ONLY be followed by a Noun or Noun Phrase. There cannot be a verb.

    • Correct: We stayed home because of the rain. (Because of + noun).
    • Incorrect: We stayed home because of it rained.

The same applies to due to, which is also a preposition and its usage rule is the same as because of.

  • The flight was canceled due to bad weather. (Due to + noun).

Conclusion: Use because to provide a strong reason. Use since/as for obvious reasons. Use so that to show a purpose. And always remember the difference between because (followed by a sentence) and because of (followed by a noun)!