Episode 78
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Hi everyone! I am Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.
In today's lesson, you'll learn about the words and expressions used to show cause and effect. For example, "Because of the course, I can now speak English."
And with a point of view story, you'll intuitively learn grammar - without memorizing.
Remember that you can get the text of this episode at SpeakEnglishPodcast.com.
Okay, let's get to it!
Phrase connectors improve writing, adding variety and sophistication to your writing style.
Today we are going to see some very useful words and phrases to express cause and effect.
You don't have to learn all of these variations, although it's helpful to be familiar with them.
I'll also give you examples to make it easier to understand.
Words and Phrases that express a cause:
1) As
Examples:
"I can't go to the market as it's raining."
"I can't eat as I'm too sick."
2) Because
Examples:
"I missed him because I loved him."
"I fell because I was careless."
3) Because of / Thanks to
Imagine the cause is negative.
Example:
"The outdoor furniture got wet because of the rain."
As you can see, here we are emphasizing that rain is bad for outdoor furniture.
More examples:
"I was late because of traffic."
"I'm fat because of overeating."
On the other hand, if the cause is positive, you can use the expression "thanks to."
Let's compare thanks to with because of:
"I arrived on time, thanks to my friend."
"I'm nervous because of drinking too much coffee."
4) Due to
Examples:
"Due to the rain, the ground is wet."
"Due to the drop in sales, the company closed."
"Due to the traffic, I was late for work."
5) For
Examples:
"Jim must be shy, for he didn't go to the party."
"Let's call it a day – for I'm exhausted."
6) In view of
Examples:
"In view of the drop in sales, the company closed."
"In view of this challenge, we have to work harder."
7) Since
Examples:
"You have to go home and study since you have a test tomorrow."
"I need to hurry up since she's waiting for me."
All right, so far, we've seen some expressions used to indicate a cause.
Phrases that express the effect
1) As a result
Examples:
"James had an accident. As a result, he couldn't walk for three months. "
"There was a drop in sales. As a result, the company closed."
2) So
Examples:
"Bill cares about you, so he'll do anything to help you."
"I forgot about his birthday, so I get that he's angry with me."
3) Therefore
Examples:
"He was busy last evening. Therefore, he couldn't come to the party."
"I'll be working all night. Therefore, we won't have breakfast together."
4) Consequently/ As a consequence
Examples:
"He didn't study enough. Consequently, he failed the exam."
"She didn't follow her mother's advice. As a consequence, she got in trouble."
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
GRAMMAR MADE EASY
POV Story: Grammar in Context
Read the same story in two different points of view and notice how the grammar changes naturally.
First Person · Present Tense
Yes, that's right. I speak 23 languages, and as a result, people are impressed. My secret? Having traveled a lot, I've been able to learn all those languages. My parents are diplomats, and thanks to their profession, I've been able to visit many different countries. As I am an extroverted person, in each country, I've learned the local language so that I can interact and have friends. And although I consider myself a lucky person because of this lifestyle, I no longer know where I belong. When asked which country I identify with the most, I always say that I feel like a citizen of the world. And as a consequence of this short story, I hope to inspire you to learn English. You know, you just have to use the right material and techniques.
Third Person · Past Tense
Yes, it's true. He spoke twenty-three languages, and as a result, people were impressed. His secret? Having traveled a lot, he was able to learn all those languages. His parents were diplomats, and thanks to their profession, he was able to visit many different countries. As he was an extroverted person, he learned the local language in each country so that he could interact and have friends. And although he considered himself a lucky person because of that lifestyle, he no longer knew where he belonged. When asked which country he identified himself in most, he always said he felt like a citizen of the world. And as a consequence of this short story, he hoped to inspire you to learn English. You know, you just have to use the right material and techniques.
First Person · Future Tense
In the future, I'll speak 23 languages, and as a result, people will be impressed. What will be my secret? I'll travel a lot. That's why I'll know all those languages. My parents will be diplomats, and thanks to their profession, I'll be able to visit many different countries. As I'll be an extroverted person, in each country, I will learn the local language so that I can interact and have friends. And although I'll consider myself a lucky person because of this lifestyle, I'll no longer know where I belong. When I am asked which country I identify with the most, I'll say that I feel like a citizen of the world. And as a consequence of this short story, I'll hope to inspire you to learn English. You know, you just have to use the right material and techniques.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
cause
the reason something happens.
due to
caused by or resulting from.
effect
the result produced by a cause.
as a result
used to introduce a consequence.
because of
used before a noun to introduce a reason.
therefore
for that reason.
thanks to
used to introduce a positive cause.
consequently
as a result of what happened.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
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