❖ Unit 4 ❖ Sustainable Development ❖ Functions ❖

Expressing Cause and Effect

Two essential functions for any argumentative writing: explaining why something happens (cause) and what results from it (effect).

Expressing CAUSE

① because + clause (subject + verb)

Jack made an accident because he drove fast.

Because he drove fast, Jack made an accident.

② because of + noun / V-ing

Jack made an accident because of driving fast.

Because of the rain, the match was cancelled.

③ due to + noun / V-ing

The flight was delayed due to bad weather.

④ thanks to + positive cause (noun)

Thanks to her hard work, she got the first prize.

⑤ as / since + clause

As the teacher was absent, the students returned to their houses.

Since it was raining, we stayed at home.

Expressing EFFECT

Common linkers to express a consequence:

so (informal): It was raining, so we stayed at home.
therefore (formal): It was raining; therefore, we stayed at home.
as a result: It was raining. As a result, the match was cancelled.
as a consequence: … as a consequence, …
consequently: … consequently, the match was cancelled.
thus: … thus, we stayed at home.
hence: … hence the decision to cancel the match.
because of this: … because of this, we stayed at home.
that's why: … that's why we stayed at home.

Practice 1 — Express the cause

Rewrite using the given linker

A lot of students drop out of school. Their parents are poor. (because) → A lot of students drop out of school because their parents are poor.
Ali couldn't go to school yesterday. He was sick. (due to) → Ali couldn't go to school yesterday due to his illness.
Many rural women are able to read. They joined literacy classes. (thanks to) → Thanks to literacy classes, many rural women are able to read.
The teacher was absent. The students returned home. (As) → As the teacher was absent, the students returned home.
Amine got up late. He missed the bus. (because of) → Because of getting up late, Amine missed the bus.
Hafsa makes great efforts. She gets good marks. (thanks to) → Thanks to her great efforts, Hafsa gets good marks.
Nabil didn't revise his lessons. He didn't pass the exam. (due to) → Due to not revising his lessons, Nabil didn't pass the exam.
The weather was bad. The pilot decided not to take off. (because) → The pilot decided not to take off because the weather was bad.

Practice 2 — Express the effect

Rewrite with the given linker of consequence

A lot of students drop out of school. The schools are too far. (Therefore) → The schools are too far. Therefore, a lot of students drop out of school.
Ali couldn't go to school. He was sick yesterday. (So) → Ali was sick yesterday, so he couldn't go to school.
The student didn't do his homework. The teacher gave him a bad mark. (Thus) → The student didn't do his homework. Thus, the teacher gave him a bad mark.
Many houses were destroyed. It rained too much. (As a result) → It rained too much. As a result, many houses were destroyed.
Amine got up late. He missed the bus. (That's why) → Amine got up late. That's why he missed the bus.
Hafsa makes great efforts. She gets good marks. (So) → Hafsa makes great efforts, so she gets good marks.
Nabil didn't pass the exam. He didn't revise. (Consequently) → Nabil didn't revise his lessons. Consequently, he didn't pass the exam.

National Exam items

Join with the given linker

The meeting was cancelled. The manager was sick. (because of) → The meeting was cancelled because of the manager's illness.
The children were exhausted. They went to bed immediately. (that's why) → The children were exhausted after the trip; that's why they went to bed immediately.
Rachid's communication skills improved. His coach helped him. (thanks to) → Thanks to his coach's help, Rachid's communication skills improved.
My grandmother took literacy classes. She can read and write. (thanks to) → Thanks to literacy classes, my grandmother can now read and write.
Our local council is active. Our city is clean. (because) → Our city is clean and safe because our local council is very active.
Taoufik had family problems. He couldn't concentrate. (because of) → Taoufik couldn't concentrate on his lessons because of family problems.
Hind got the first prize. She made great efforts. (thanks to) → Thanks to her great efforts, Hind got the first prize.
Jamal spent the afternoon chatting. He didn't have time for homework. (because) → Jamal didn't have time to do his homework because he spent all the afternoon chatting.
Mr. Ferguson's car broke down. He was late for work. (because) → Mr. Ferguson was late for work because his car broke down on the way.

❖ Key Takeaways ❖

① Cause vs Effect

Cause = the reason. Effect = the result. Each has its own set of linkers.

② Structure matters

because + clause · because of / due to + noun. Confusing these is a frequent mistake.

③ "Thanks to" is positive

Use "thanks to" only for positive causes: thanks to her hard work, thanks to the support…

❖ Exam tip

The "join the sentences" exercise tests these linkers in almost every exam. Don't forget the comma after the linker when it starts a sentence: "Therefore, …", "Consequently, …".