English/XI / 4th semester
CAUSE and EFFECT January 2021
There are many ways to express cause and effect:
Because
We cancelled the picnic because it was raining.
Because it was raining, we cancelled the picnic.
As
We cancelled the picnic as it was raining.
As it was raining, we cancelled the picnic.
Since
We cancelled the picnic since it was raining.
Since it was raining, we cancelled the picnic.
For
We can also use 'for' to mean 'because'. This is very literary and we don't really use it in
spoken English. 'For' can only go in the middle of the two clauses. We often add a
comma before it.
We cancelled the picnic, for it was raining.
Words (or groups of words) that are followed by a noun
Because of + noun
We cancelled the picnic because of the rain.
Because of the rain, we cancelled the picnic.
Due to + noun*
We cancelled the picnic due to the rain.
Due to the rain, we cancelled the picnic.
Owing to + noun
We cancelled the picnic owing to the rain.
Owing to the rain, we cancelled the picnic.
Exercise 1
Match the words in column A with the words in column B so that they show cause and
effect
Cause Effect
1. Consuming food containing too much A. Heart attack
fat B. Many kinds of illness
2. When blood circulation does not run C. Death
well D. Difficulty of the heart to pump blood to
3. Sudden heart attack all parts of the body
4. smoking E. Obesity
F. Difficulty in breathing
Exercise 1
Write the cause and effect for each sentence.
1. Tim forgot his math book, so he was unable to complete his homework.
Cause: _________________________________________________________________
Effect: _________________________________________________________________
2. Keegan was hungry because he skipped lunch.
Cause: _________________________________________________________________
Effect: _________________________________________________________________
3. Erin's car had a flat tire, so she called a tow truck.
Cause: _________________________________________________________________
Effect: _________________________________________________________________
4. Gina couldn't find the cookies because Papa hid them in the cupboard.
Cause: _________________________________________________________________
Effect: _________________________________________________________________
5. Kelly studied her spelling words and she got an A on the test.
Cause: _________________________________________________________________
Effect: _________________________________________________________________
Exercise 1
Choose the correct word or phrase in brackets to fill the space.
1. (because / because of) We stayed inside ________________________ the storm.
2. (since / because of) I wanted to stay longer ________________________ I was really
enjoying the party.
3. (as / due to) Amanda stayed at home ________________________ her illness.
4. (due to / as) Her lateness was ________________________ a terrible traffic jam.
5. (since / owning to) ________________________ flights are cheaper in the winter, we
decided to travel then.
6. (as / because of) ________________________ she hated cats, she wasn’t happy when her
husband bought three.
7. (owing to / as) John didn’t go to work ________________________ his illness.
8. (because / due to) ________________________ Lucy was very tired, she went to bed early.
9. (because / owing to) ________________________ his late night, John missed his train.
10. (for / owing to) Lucy was very unhappy, ________________________ she missed James.
11. (as / due to) ________________________ the terrible weather, we decided not to walk
home.
12. (as / owning to) I was very happy with my present, ________________________ it was
exactly what I wanted.
13. (due to / since) Keiko ordered her meal without meat, ________________________ she is a
vegetarian.
14. (because of / as) I didn’t want to leave ________________________ I was having a great
time.
15. (owing to / since) Luca bought the shoes ________________________ they were perfect.
16. (because of / because) We were late for the plane ________________________ the traffic.
17. (for / as) ________________________ it was really cold, I put on my gloves and my hat.
18. (due to / because) She couldn’t come ________________________ she had to work.
19. (owning to / because) ________________________its high price, we didn’t rent the flat.
20. (because of / since) ________________________ his great cooking, we love going to
dinner at Taka’s house.