EXPRESSING REASON

When we express reason, we want to give explanation. Although there are several different words/ grammatical structures to express reason in English, pre-intermediate/ intermediate students often stick to “because”. For this reason, this lesson focuses on how to express reason in different ways and, consequently, how you can improve your writing. 

Because

This is the most commonly used linking word for giving reason or cause. It can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence

What’s the difference between because and because of? Because of is followed by a noun.

e.g I didn’t go to the beach because of the rain / I didn’t go to the beach because it was raining

Because can be shortened to cos /kəz/ or /kɒz/ in informal speaking and writing:

Since/ As

Used in much the same way as “because”.As and since are more formal than because

e.g  As English is an international language, learning it is essential.

As everyone already knows each other, there’s no need for introductions.

Due to ( = because of)/ Due to the fact that

Due to + N

Due to+ clause

e.g: He failed his exam due to anxiety. He failed his exam due to the fact that he was very anxious.

Owing to/ Owing to the fact that

Owing to + N

Owing to (+ clause)

e.g Owing to his carelessness, the accident happened. /Owing to the fact that he was drunk, the accident happened. 

Given/ Seeing that

e.g Given her age, she’s decided to retire./ We’re going to the party seeing that we’ve got the tickets

FOR PORTUGUESE SPEAKERS. 

Pay attention to the difference between ‘because' and ‘because of’: 

'Because', in Portuguese, means “porque”.

'Because of’  is equivalent to “por causa”.

'Since' here expresses cause and means ’visto que’, 'eis que’ . It is different from the word 'since' which expresses time and is commonly used in the  Present Perfect Tense. 

'As' has got several meanings, but in this lesson, it stands for “como”, “visto que”, ‘já que”. In turn, "due to" and "owing to” mean “devido a".

'Given' means “considerando".

30 REPORTING VERBS: COMMON PATTERNS

ACCUSE	SOMEONE OF DOING STH	HE ACCUSED ME OF LYING.
ADVISE	SOMEONE TO DO STH DOING SOMETHING	HE ADVISED HER TO LEAVE THE COMPANY/SHE ADVISED WAITING UNTIL TOMORROW.
ADMIT	THAT + CLAUSE DOING SOMETHING	THEY ADMITTED THAT THEY HAD MADE A MISTAKE./THEY ADMITTED MAKING A MISTAKE.
AGREE	TO DO SOMETHING THAT +CLAUSE	WE AGREED NOT TO TELL ANYONE WHAT HAD HAPPENED/I AGREE THAT HE SHOULD BE INVITED.
ALLOW	SOMEONE TO DO STH	THEY DIDN’T ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN MY DECISION
APOLOGISE	FOR DOING SOMETHING	I APOLOGISED FOR BEING LATE.
ASK	SOMEONE TO DO STH SOMEONE WH WORD+ TO DO SOMETHING	I ASKED MY BOSS TO LEAVE EALIER./I ASKED MY BOSS IF/ WHETHER I COULD LEAVE EALIER.
BLAME	SOMEONE FOR DOING SOMETHING	HE BLAMED ME FOR MISSING THE PLANE
CLAIM	(THAT) + CLAUSE TO SOMETHING STH	THE COMPANY CLAIMS THAT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POLLUTION./HE CLAIMS TO BE MICHAEL./HE CLAIMED THE ENGLISH THRONE.
CONGRATULATE	SOMEONE ON DOING STH	I CONGRATULATED SUSAN ON PASSING HER EXAM
DECIDE	TO DO SOMETHING	WE DECIDED TO GO TO THE BEACH.
ENCOURAGE	SOMEONE TO DO STH	MY TEACHER ENCOURAGED ME TO TAKE THE EXAM.
EXPLAIN	(THAT) + CLAUSE SOMETHING TO SOMEONE  WH-WORD + TO DO STH	SHE EXPLAINED THAT SHE WOULD BE MOVING TO ANOTHER CITY. THE DOCTOR EXPLAINED THE RISKS TO ME BEFORE THE OPERATION./HE EXPLAINED HOW TO FIX THE CAR.
DISCOURAGE	SOMEONE FROM DOING SOMETHING	WE WERE DISCOURAGED FROM SMOKING.
FORGIVE	SOMEONE FOR DOING STH	SHE FORGAVE ME FOR GETTING HER NAME WRONG
INVITE	SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING	SHE INVITED ME TO STAY IN HER HOUSE FOR ONE WEEK.
LET	SOMEONE DO SOMETHING	HER MOTHER DIND’T LET HER COME WITH US.
OFFER	TO DO SOMETHING SOMEONE SOMETHING SOMETHING TO SOMEONE	MY MOTHER OFFERED TO TAKE US TO SCHOOL/HE OFFERED ME A DRINK /THE POLICE OFFERED A REQARD TO ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRIME.
ORDER	SOMETHING SOMEONE TO DO STH	I ORDERED SOME PASTA/THEY ORDERED HIM TO LEAVE THE ROOM.
PERSUADE	SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING	HE IS TRYING TO PERSUADE POLITICIANS TO INVEST IN THE PROJECT.
PROMISE	TO DO SOMETHING (THAT) + CLAUSE SOMEONE (THAT) SOMEONE SOMETHING  SOMETHING TO SOMEONE	THE GOVERNMENT PROMISED TO REDUCE TAXES./HE PROMISED THAT HE WOULD CALL HER./SHE PROMISED ME A NEW CAR./SHE PROMISED A NEW CAR TO ME.
REMIND	SOMEONE TO DO STH SOMEONE (THAT) + CLAUSE REMIND SOMEONE OF/ABOUT STH SOMEONE + WH WORD + TO DO SOMETHING	HE REMINDED ME TO LOCK THE DOOR./I CALLED MY STUDENTS AND REMINDED THEM THAT THE LESSON HAD BEEN CANCELLED. SHE REMINDED ME ABOUT MY APPOINTMENT./MY NOTES REMINDED ME WHAT TO SAY.
RECOMMEND	(THAT) + CLAUSE DOING SOMETHING	WE RECOMMEND THAT THE WINE SHOULD BE CONSUMED WITHIN 6 MONTHS./I RECOMMEND GETTING MORE EXERCISE.
REFUSE	SOMETHING TO DO SOMETHING	SHE REFUSED MY OFFER ON COLD MORNINGS MY CAR REFUSES TO START.
SAY	(THAT) + CLAUSE SAY SOMETHING TO SOMEONE	THE DOCTORS SAID THAT HE WOULD TAKE A FEW WEEKS TO RECOVER./HE SAID NICE WORDS TO HIM.
SUGGEST	(THAT) + CLAUSE DOING SOMETHING	I SUGGESTED THAT WE SHOULD GO TO THE CINEMA./I SUGGESTED GOING TO THE CINEMA.
TELL	SOMEONE TO DO STH SOMEONE (THAT) + CLAUSE SOMEONE (WH WORD) + TO DO SOMETHING	HE TOLD ME TO GO HOME./ SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD BEEN ILL./HE TOLD ME HOW TO GET TO THE LIBRARY.
THREATEN	TO DO SOMETHING SOMEONE WITH STH	THEY THREATEN TO KILL HIM UNLESS HE PAID THE MONEY HE THREATENED HIM WITH A GUN
WARN	SOMEONE TO DO STH SOMEONE (THAT) + CLAUSE WARN SOMEONE OF STH	MY SISTER WARNED ME NOT TO TALK TO STRANGERS./SHE WARNED THEM THAT THERE WOULD BE AN EXTRA PERSON FOR DINNER/WE WERE WARNED OF THE FOG

WRITING ABOUT ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

• The main advantage of… E.g The main advantage of learning a foreign language is that you use your brain and, consequently, your memory is improved.
• One of the advantages of… E.g. One of the advantages of living abroad is that it is a great vehicle for sharing your experiences abroad with friends.
• Another advantage of… E.g Another advantage of standardized testing is that it allows educators to compare scores to students within the same school and across schools.
• A benefit of… E. g A benefit of internet use is that the user feels free and comfortable, acting in a way he/she would never do in real life.
• A positive aspect of… E. g There are a lot of positive aspects of living in the country side…
• A good point of… Eg. A good point of getting married is that it is a way of sharing your life with someone.
• An argument in favor of… E. g An argument in favor of single-sex education is that it enhances student success when teachers use techniques geared toward the gender of their students.
• The greatest advantage of… E. g The greatest advantage of internet use is that you can log on to acquire knowledge.
• An argument for … E. g An argument for BREXIT is that leaving the EU would result in an immediate cost saving.
 

• A disadvantage of …
• An negative aspect of …
• The most important drawback is …
• The downside of … E.g The downside of living in the country is, of course, the long commute to work
• One of the disadvantages of….
• A argument against…
• An important/ significant disadvantage of…

 Practice

1)Think of your Country and list 5 advantages of living there.

2)Think of the advantages and disadvantages of living in the countryside.

3)Quote the advantages and drawbacks of holding the Olympic games.

4)Five reasons why everybody should live abroad at least once. 

5)What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of ‘Standardised Testing’?

6)The positive and negative aspects of developing Tourism in your area.

8)What are the pros and cons of single-sex schools.

9) Talk about the advantages and drawbacks of getting married later in life.

10) What are the pluses and minuses of the monarchy?