cause
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.the person, thing, or event that makes something happen.
n.the producer of an effect; the person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition.
Simple“The police are still trying to find the cause of the fire.”
In context“Determining the root cause of the structural failure required a thorough investigation by a team of forensic engineers.”
PitfallThe cause for the accident was ice. The cause of the accident was ice.Use the preposition 'of' after the noun 'cause' when identifying the source of a problem.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
n.a goal or idea that people support or fight for because they believe it is right.
n.a principle, aim, or movement that because of its perceived value is supported with dedication.
Simple“They organized a concert to raise money for a good cause.”
In context“She devoted her entire professional life to the cause of environmental protection, lobbying for stricter regulations on industrial waste.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a case that is being decided in a court of law.
n.a ground of action or a lawsuit brought before a court for adjudication.
Simple“The judge dismissed the cause due to a lack of evidence.”
In context“The plaintiff's counsel argued that there was sufficient cause to proceed with a full trial despite the defendant's motion for summary judgment.”
- 04 A2 Elementary
v.to make something happen, especially something bad.
v.to be the agent or occasion of an event; to bring about a result through action or influence.
Simple“The heavy rain caused a lot of problems for drivers this morning.”
In context“The sudden increase in interest rates caused a significant slowdown in the local housing market over the following quarter.”
PitfallThe rain caused that the game stopped. The rain caused the game to stop.The verb 'cause' is followed by an object and a 'to-infinitive', not a 'that' clause.
- 05 B1 Intermediate
conj.a short, informal way of saying 'because'.
conj.an aphetic form of 'because' used to introduce a reason or explanation.
Simple“I didn't go to the party 'cause I was feeling tired.”
In context“He decided to quit his job 'cause he couldn't stand the long commute anymore.”
UsageOften written with an apostrophe as 'cause to show the missing letters.
cause vs make — Make focuses on the result or forced action, while cause focuses on the origin of a negative or neutral event.
cause vs reason — A reason is the motive or justification for a human action, while a cause is the physical force that produces a specific result.
Usage cause of death · causing damage · cause serious
From Middle English cause (also with the sense of “a thing”), borrowed from Old French cause (“a cause, a thing”), borrowed from Latin causa (“reason, sake, cause”), from Proto-Italic kaussā, which is of unknown origin. Doublet of chose (“(law) a thing; personal property”). See accuse, excuse, recuse, ruse. Displaced native Old English intinga. * From Middle English causen, Old French causer and Medieval Latin causāre.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.