cause
part of speech
noun (cause, causes); verb (cause, causes, caused, causing)
meaning for a pupil
1) What makes something happen: "The cause of the fire was a candle." tree →
2) As a verb, to make something happen: "Ice can cause accidents." tree →
3) A goal or idea that people support: "a good cause". tree →
4) A cause can also be a reason to feel or do something, as in "cause for worry". tree →
sense in the lessons
In science, "cause and effect": one thing (cause) makes another (effect) happen; good scientists test causes carefully. In reading, find the cause and effect in a story. In safety: think about what might cause an accident. Phrases: cause and effect, the cause of, for a good cause, cause trouble.
examples
- What was the cause of the accident? tree →
- Heat causes ice to melt. tree →
- Germs cause many illnesses. tree →
- Running in the corridor can cause accidents. tree →
- We raised money for a good cause. tree →
- The storm caused a lot of damage. tree →
- Cause and effect: rain causes puddles. tree →
- Don't cause trouble. tree →
- The Beasts, too, had cause for fight. tree →
note
Things happening together do not always mean one causes the other. "Because" comes from "by cause". "Cause" is often used for bad things ("cause damage").
In the corpora
- Lending money to friends can cause arguments, so many grown-ups only lend what they could afford to lose.
- Antibiotics kill bacteria but do nothing against colds, which are caused by viruses.
- Diabetes is not caused by eating one too many sweets, and with care people with diabetes live normal lives.
- Speed limits exist because faster cars cause worse accidents, especially near schools and homes.
- Volunteering means working without pay to help a good cause, like Gran's shift at the charity shop.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «cause» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.