Because / Though
Expected vs. Contrary Reason
Because / Though + Clause
| LOGICAL / EXPECTED REASON | |
|---|---|
Because adds a logical reason for the action in the main clause. The action in the main clause is an expected effect. |
|
ACTION / SITUATION Justin wore his winter pants |
LOGICAL REASON because it was snowing. |
Justin rode his bike to school |
as his car was snowed in. (under snow) |
He likes to walk in the snow |
since it is a special winter experience. |
He put on his parka |
for¹ he felt cold. |
Justin can make a snowman |
now that there is snow on the ground. |
The mayor apologized |
inasmuch as the snow removal was behind schedule. (late) |
The mayor declared a holiday |
for the reason that no one could get to work. |
| ILLOGICAL / UNEXPECTED REASON | |
|---|---|
Similarly, though adds a contrary reason for the action in the main clause. The action in the main clause is unexpected under these circumstances. |
|
ACTION / SITUATION Justin wore his winter pants |
CONTRARY REASON though it was warm outside. |
Justin rode his bike to school |
even though the snow was slippery. |
He likes to walk in the snow |
although his nose gets cold. |
He put on his parka |
regardless of the fact (that) he did not feel cold. |
Justin made an excellent snowman |
despite the fact (that) he had never made one before. |
The mayor apologized |
in spite of the fact (that) snow removal was not his reponsibility. |
The mayor declared a holiday |
yet some people went to work anyway. |
Related cause-effect: Cause-Effect Rev
contrary (adj.) – opinions, or actions that are completely different and opposed to each other
¹for is rarely used in En-US (US English)
inasmuch as – to the extent that
inspite of the fact – (that) is optional
Cause-Effect
Initial Position
Emphasis on Cause
| CAUSE/ LOGICAL EFFECT | |
|---|---|
When because is placed at the beginning of the sentence, we can understand the same structure as a cause & effect relationship. A speaker places the clause at the beginning for emphasis on the cause |
|
CAUSE Because it was snowing, |
LOGICAL EFFECT he wore his winter pants |
Since it will be snowing harder soon, |
we need to leave now |
| CAUSE / ILLOGICAL EFFECT | |
|---|---|
Similarly, if placing the prepositional phrase with though at the beginning of the sentence, we can understand the same structure as a cause & illogical effect relationship. |
|
CAUSE Though it was snowing, |
ILLOGICAL EFFECT he wore his shorts |
Although it will be snowing harder soon, |
we need to stay and get our work done. |
Cause-Effect
Transitions
Linking Adverbs
| AN EXPECTED OUTCOME | |
|---|---|
|
|
It was raining. |
For this reason, we moved our picnic indoors. |
It was sunny. |
Consequently, we had to wear sunscreen. |
It was bright. |
As a result, we had to wear sun glasses to drive. |
The weather was delightful. |
As a consequence, we went hiking. |
Expressions such as | AN UNEXPECTED OUTCOME | |
|---|---|
|
|
It was raining. |
Nevertheless, we went on a picnic. |
It was cloudy. |
Even so, we got sunburned. |
The sky was overcast. |
Nonetheless, we wore sun glasses while driving. |
The weather was miserable. |
In spite of that, we went hiking. |
See Expected Effect: Cause & Effect; Unexpected effect: Nevertheless
Cause-Effect
Prepositional Phrase + Noun Phrase
Because of / In spite of + Noun Phrase
| BECAUSE OF + NP | |
|---|---|
Because of, due to, on account of, or owing to is followed by noun phrase expressing a logical reason for the action in the main clause. The action in the main clause is expected under these circumstances. |
|
| EFFECT (SITUATION) | CONTRARY CAUSE |
Schools were closed |
because of the snow. (PP + NP) |
The pipes froze |
due to the cold temperature |
People stayed indoors |
on account of the bad weather |
Mail service way delayed |
owing to the bad weather |
| IN SPITE OF + NP | |
|---|---|
In spite of, despite or regardless of is followed by a noun phrase expressing a contrary reason for the action in the main clause. The action in the main clause is unexpected under these circumstances. |
|
| EFFECT | CONTRARY REASON (PP + NP) |
Schools remained open |
in spite of the snow. (PP + NP) |
The pipes did not freeze |
in spite of the cold temperature. |
People were out and about |
despite the bad weather. |
The mail will be delivered |
regardless of the bad weather. |
(PP) prepositional phrase; (NP) noun phrase
See Because of / In spite of , Changing clauses to noun phrases and Grammar Notes for terms.
Cause-Effect
Because of -ing
Because of / In spite of + Gerund Clause
| BECAUSE OF + NP | |
|---|---|
Because of, due to, on account of, and owing to may also be followed by a gerund clause with a meaning of expected reason. The two– and three– word expressions are followed by an NP or a gerund clause (nonfinite clause). |
|
Schools were closed |
because of having no heat in the rooms. |
The pipes froze |
due to not being insulated well. |
People stayed home |
on account of their wanting to keep warm. |
Mail service was delayed |
owing to being unable to drive in the snow. |
Airplanes were grounded |
due to the runways being covered with snow |
| IN SPITE OF + NP | |
|---|---|
In spite of, despite and regardless of may also be followed by a clause expressing a contrary reason for the action in the main clause. The two– and three– word expressions are followed by an NP or a gerund clause. |
|
Schools remained open |
in spite of having no heat in the rooms.. |
The pipes did not freeze |
in spite of not being insulated well.. |
People were out and about |
despite their wanting to keep warm. |
The mail was delivered |
regardless of being unable to drive in the snow. |
Airplanes took off |
despite the runways being covered with snow |
insulated (adj) – to cover or protect something with a material that stops electricity, sound, heat etc from getting in or out
See Because of / In spite of |
Cause–Effect
Position and Punctuation
Initial vs. Mid Position
| INITIAL-POSITION CLAUSE |
|---|
|
Because we were cold, we went inside. |
Though we wanted to stay, he made us leave. |
On account of the frost, we put the car in the garage. |
A comma is placed after the clause when it is placed in front of the main clause.| MID-POSITION CLAUSE |
|---|
|
We went inside because we were cold. |
He made us leave though we wanted to stay. |
We put the car in the garage on account of the frost. |
No comma is required. (See exception "A comma before because" below.)Also see Using Commas general rules.
"Not…Because" – using a comma
| BECAUSE AS AN ADVERBIAL CLAUSE | BECAUSE AS A SUPPLEMENTAL CLAUSE |
|---|---|
When a negative is used before a verb modified by an adverbial clause, the negative word (not) negates the verb and the adverbial clause. The because-clause is an modifier (adjunct) to the verb. |
When a negative is used before a verb that is modified by an adverbial clause, a comma may be used to restrict or limit the negation to just the verb in the main clause. The comma clarifies meaning by indicating that the because-clause is supplemental to the main clause. |
| NOT NEGATES VERB AND BECAUSE-CLAUSE | NOT NEGATES VERB ONLY |
→ Her already having a cell phone was not a reason for her not buying one. |
→ Her already having a cell phone was the reason for her not buying one. |
She didn't buy the cell phone just because its price was high. (On the contrary, she did not buy it because she wanted a keyboard on the phone.) → The cell phone having a high price was not the reason for her not buying it. |
She didn't buy the cell phone, just because its price was high. (She'll look for a more affordable phone.) → The cell phone having a high price was the reason for her not buying it. |
I'm not doing it, because you told me not to. (My action has nothing to do with your will.) → Your telling me not to do it is not the reason I am not doing it.
|
I'm not doing it, because you told me not to. (I'm taking your advice.) → Your telling me not to do it is the reason I am not doing it.
|
cell phone (US-Eng); mobile phone (BR-Eng)
Reason "Scope and Focus" (CaGEL 732)
"Not-Because"
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
| ERROR |
|---|
*The skier wanted to compete though he broke his ankle. |
*Since its March, its raining here. |
*Because he felt tired. |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
The skier wanted to compete, but he broke his ankle. Though the skier broke his ankle, he was able to compete. |
#1 It has been raining here since March. #2 Since it is March (spring), it's raining here. |
Because he felt tired, he went to bed. Because he felt tired was not a reason for skipping class. Add a predicate (verb phrase). The reason he missed class was because he was tired. Add a subject and verb. |
Grammar Notes
Traditional Grammar and Linguistic Description
Advanced
| TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR | LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION | ||
|---|---|---|---|
In traditional grammar, because, as, since, inasmuch as are called subordinating conjunctions. The conjunction introduces a dependent clause giving a reason for the situation in the main (independent) clause. Because, a subordinating conjunction, joins one clause with a particular situation to another clause with an expected, predictable or logical outcome. Though, a subordinating conjunction, joins one clause with a particular situation to another clause with an an outcome that is contrary to expectation (i.e., illogical, irrational). |
Presently, because, as, since, inasmuch as have been re-assigned to the category of preposition. a category which takes a wide variety of complements (NP, N, AdjP, AdvP, PP, Predicative Complement, Clause, etc.) See Prep Complements The prepositions, because, as, since, inasmuch as take finite clauses expressing reason as their complements. They may also take PPs (prepositional phrases) as with because of, due to, on account of, owing to, in view of with NP or nonfinite clauses of reason as their complements. |
||
| INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | ADVERBIAL CLAUSE | (MATRIX) CLAUSE | PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE |
Justin wore his winter pants |
because it was snowing. (conjunction + clause) |
Justin wore his winter pants |
because it was snowing. (PP + finite clause) |
REED-KELLOGG DIAGRAM
|
TREE DIAGRAM
|
||
CATEGORIES: NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Det – determiner; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective
FUNCTIONS: Subject: Subject, Predicate: Predicator (V) Complements: (elements required by verb) Object, Indirect Object, Predicative Complement Adjuncts: (optional modifiers) Adj, Adv
Resources
Practice 1
New Car
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Practice 2
Election
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Practice 3
Congressional Representation
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