because

«because» in Mova's school dictionary: Because gives the reason for something: I am wet because… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

conjunction (because; because of); casual short forms (cos, coz, 'cause, bc)

meaning for a pupil

1) Because gives the reason for something: I am wet because it rained. tree →

2) «Because of» comes before a noun to give the reason: The game stopped because of the rain. tree →

3) (casual) «Cos», «coz», «'cause» and in texts «bc» or «bcos» are short spoken or texted forms of because. tree →

4) (casual) «Because» alone, or «Just because», is a refusal to give a reason: «Why?» «Because I said so.» tree →

5) (formal) The exam voice says «owing to», «due to», «on account of», «since», «in consequence of», «by virtue of» where a child would say «because». tree →

sense in the lessons

the student's reason: which word made it choose the operation («I add because of «more»»); in science «because» explains a cause («Ice melts because it gets warm»); in maths «explain why» answers start with «because»; in stories it links what happened to why; in casual talk and texts «cos», «'cause», «bc»; in rough talk the parent's «because I said so»; in the exam voice «owing to», «due to», «on account of», «by virtue of the fact that»

examples

• Student: I add : 9 (because of «more») tree →
• We subtract because some cookies were eaten. tree →
• We multiply because there are 4 equal groups. tree →
• I stayed home because I was sick. tree →
• The plant died because it had no water. tree →
• We could not play outside because of the storm. tree →
• Leaves fall in autumn because the days grow cold. tree →
• She smiled because she got a gold star. tree →
• cant come cos mum says no tree →
• only got 3 left bc my brother ate the rest tree →
• «Why do I have to go to bed?» «Because I said so, that's why.» tree →
• Owing to the inclement weather, the outing was postponed. tree →
• “Because I am grown up, dearest. tree →

note

In the student's answers «because of «…»» names the cue word it relied on. Trap: the named word can be a wrong cue, such as «more» in «how many more … than». «Because» answers a «why» question. Use «because of» before a noun («because of the rain»), «because» before a whole sentence («because it rained»). «cos» and «bc» mean exactly «because» and are fine in chat, not in written work. «Owing to» and «due to» in an exam give a reason; the reason itself rarely changes the numbers.

In the corpora

• Some people go to work ill because they can't afford to lose the pay, which spreads germs to everyone else.
• Own-brand food is often made in a similar way to famous brands but costs less because there is no big advertising.
• Saving up is slower than borrowing but cheaper, because no interest is paid.
• Families move house for many reasons: a new job, more room, a cheaper rent, or because a tenancy ends.
• "Going out with someone" means two people are a couple who spend time together because they like each other a lot.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «because» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.