Advanced Writing - Cause & Reason expressions for your writing

Joining Ideas - Cause & Reason

One of the things we’re constantly expected to do when we write is to provide justifications for our ideas. We can also use other information to provide explanations and support to our opinions. These come under a number of headings.

We consider the cause of what we are proposing. We can look at the possible effects of what we’re discussing and finally we can offer reasons as to why we think this way. There is a lot of choice so it is essential to consider using a good range of these linking words and devices. Let’s look at some ways we can use these types of structures.

Cause & Reason Grammar

The most familiar of these type of reason linking expressions are as, because, seeing that, seeing as, or since.

We can use the prepositions because of, due to, and owing to before a noun or a noun phrase.

We can also use for or with , for has a similar meaning to as a result of and with has a similar meaning to as a result of their being.

Examples

Because of/Due to/Owing to a computer error I got a huge electricity bill
this month.
As/Since/Because/Seeing as/Seeing that you’ve finished your homework you can go out to play now.
I think you should finish the painting today otherwise it’ll never get done.
In view of the delay to your flight the airline will provide food vouchers.
With so many teachers out sick school had to close for a week.
As a result of lot of claims for household flood damage last winter, insurance premiums have doubled.
Such was the demand for the new toy that it sold out less than two days.

Using Nouns & Verbs

There are also a number of verbs and other words we can use to discuss the cause of something.

Verbs

cause
provoke
result in

produce
precipitate
create

generate
mean
breed

Other expressions & phrasal verbs

bring about
lead to
give rise to

be the source of
spring from
derive from

Be/put down to
be/lie at the bottom/root/heart of
stem from