Clauses of cause 2BTO Unit 5

CLAUSES OF CAUSE (SUBORDINADAS CAUSALES)

Van introducidas por:
a) Because, que se emplea cuando contestamos una pregunta.
   Why is the baby crying? Because he is ill.(¿Por qué está llorando el bebé? Porque está enfermo).

b) Cuando la causa está clara o ya se conoce de antemano, es más frecuente utilizar as o since:
   As / Since you can cook, you could make a chocolate cake for us (Como / ya que sabes cocinar, 
   podrías hacernos un pastel de chocolate)

c) La causa y la consecuencia se pueden expresar con because y so:
   I put on my coat because I was cold (Me puse el abrigo porque tenía frío)
   I was cold, so I put on my coat (Tenía frío, así que me puse el abrigo)

Exercises: links

Connectors showing cause and result: (subordinadas causales y consecutivas)

Connectors or linkers are words or groups of words that help us connect words, phrases or sentences. Thanks to them, we can express relationships between ideas and improve our expression by making longer, more complex sentences. For example, take these two sentences:
Our teacher was ill. We had to put off the exam.
The first sentence is the cause of the second, and the second is the result of the first. The idea would be understood more easily if we could express the relation between both sentences. Thus, we could say:
Our teacher was ill, therefore we had to put off the exam.
We had to put off the exam because our teacher was ill.
As you can see, these two examples sound better than the first two sentences, thanks to the use of the connectors therefore and because.

Connectors can be used to show contrast, purpose, sequence, etc. but today we will be concentrating on the linking words that show cause or result.

CAUSE:

·                     Conjunctions followed by a complete sentence:

·                                             Because: it usally follows the main clause: Everybody likes her because she's very kind and friendly.

·                                             As and since are very similar. As is less formal than since. They are used when the reason is well known. The clauses that start with these words often begin the sentence:
As I was very tired, I went to bed early.
 Since you are not interested, I won't tell you about it.
(As and since can also be used as time connectors).

·                                             For suggests that the reason is given as an afterthought. For-clauses never come at the beginning of the sentence. For is mainly used in literary texts, therefore, it is very formal.
 We listened eagerly, for he brought news of our families.

·                     Connectors followed by a noun, a noun phrase, a pronoun or a gerund:

·                                             Because of: They have had problems raising cash because of the credit crunch.

·                                             Due to and owing to are considered by many speakers as exact equivalents, but this is not so, because due to is adjectival (it follows a noun or pronoun), whereas owing to is adverbial (it complements a verb). Compare these examples:
The game was cancelled owing to torrential rain. 
The cancellation of the game was due to torrential rain.
If you are doubtful as to which of these you can use, here's a trick: try to substitute due to with “caused by” and see if it works. *The game was cancelled caused by torrential rain.* doesn't sound correct, so it's not possible to use due to in this case. On the other hand, The cancellation of the game was caused by torrential rain, sounds fine.
Owing to is interchangeable with because of: The game was cancelled because of torrential rain.

·                                             On account of: The nurse had to keep the baby in another room on account of my illness.

·                                             Thanks to suggests that there is some cause for gratitude, though it can be used sarcastically. She was given a scholarship thanks to her excellent grades.

RESULT or CONSEQUENCE:

·                     Thus (very formal): He was the eldest son, and thus, heir to the title.

·                     Therefore (formal, used mainly in written English): She is only seventeen and therefore not eligible to vote.

·                     As a result: There has been a rise in the number of accidents. As a result, the government has decided to lower the speed limit. As a result of is followed by a noun, pronoun or gerund. Can you rewrite the previous example using as a result of?
 As a result of the rise in the number of accidents, the government... 

·                     So (less formal): There was nothing on TV, so I decided to go to bed.

·                     That's why: Cold temperatures kill mosquitos. That's why you won't see them in winter.

·                     For this reason: The Colonel was confident that war was impending, and for this reason he hurried his preparations to leave the country.

·                     Consequently (used especially in written English): This poses a threat to the food chain, and consequently to human health.

* Pay special attention to express consequence with so / such … that = tan …. que   

1. SO + ADJECTIVE / ADVERB + THAT

The ticket for the concert was so expensive that we couldn’t buy it.

2. SUCH + (ADJECTIVE) + NOUN THAT

It is such a big city that I always get lost.

Note: In this case, omit the a if the noun is uncountable or plural:   

 It was such nice weather that we decided to go on a picnic.

Exercises:

A) Complete using a logical connector

1 It is believed that some new diseases have appeared __________ we take too many antibiotics.

2 _____________ so many pupils failed the test, there will be another tomorrow.

3 Many roads need repair ___________ the heavy rainfall.

4 He was driving at 135 kph. ____________, he was fined by the police.

5 I can't go out tonight __________ I've got a terrible headache.

6 I can't go out tonight __________ a terrible headache.

7 _______________ his brave action, he was awarded a medal.

8 Mary enjoys the sofa _________ she spends a lot of time there.

9 He's embarrassed about being bald,____________ he always wears wigs.

10 We had to move to London ____________ my job.

B)

 Complete the sentences in the first column using because or because of + an idea from the second column. Example: - We didn’t arrive in time the heavy traffic - We didn’t arrive in time because of the heavy traffic.

a. I made an emergency call                                                 I found a dead man in the street

b. The family had to flee from the country                          the weather was changing

c. The match was cancelled                                                 the rain

 d. I’m doing this course                                                      I want to get better qualifications

e. He took a raincoat                                                            she is afraid of planes

 f. She can’t travel by air                                                      the war

C)

Join the sentences using so/such....(that).

Example:- He is very intelligent. He doesn’t need to study → He is so intelligent that he doesn’t need to study

- Jennifer is a famous actress. Everybody asks her for an autograph → Jennifer is such a famous actress that

everybody asks her for an autograph.

a. The Oscar Award is a world-known event. No famous people miss it.

b. My grandfather was very weak. He hardly could stand.

c. That village is very small. There are no more than two families living.

d. Gasol is very tall. He needs a king-size bed.

e. We are having a good time this weekend. We will never forget it.

D)

Choose the correct answer.

a. As/As a result it was such a difficult exam, we decided not to take it.

b. It is my mother’s birthday because/so we´ll buy her a TV.

c. As a result/Since all the restaurants in the town were busy, we went back home.

d. My husband was ill and as a result/because we didn’t attend the meeting.

e. I didn’t get paid in my job and so/as I can`t spend much money this weekend.

f. I couldn’t take the children to school as a result/because we were locked in the house.

g. Ellen was gorgeous; so/therefore she won the beauty contest.