Word of the Day: Cause
The word “cause” is used to explain why things happen. You can use “cause” as a verb or as a noun when providing the reason or the explanation for a situation. Don’t confuse “cause” with “because.” The word “because” is a type of conjunction.
These sentences and questions demonstrate how “cause” can be used as a verb:
- Two children playing with matches caused the fire. (How did the fire start? Two children were playing with matches. They started the fire. They caused it to happen.)
- What causes our boss to get so angry? (What happens to make him angry?)
- A drought is causing my grass to turn brown. (If it hasn’t been raining, that’s the reason for the dry, brown grass.)
- What caused those people to riot?
- What’s causing that noise I hear underneath my car?
The next set of examples show how “cause” can be used as a noun:
- What was the cause of the fire? (What started it?)
- What’s the cause for his anger?
- Poor soil and a lack of rain are the main causes for dry, brown grass.
- A hole in the muffler is the cause for the noise.
One other interesting use for “cause” as a noun is as a substitute for the word charity:
- Do you know of any good causes that I can contribute money to this year?
- Your donations will go to a good cause. The money will help feed starving people.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with C page to see the list of all words starting with letter C. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
