/Linking Words
B1Linking Words

Linking Words of Reason

1

What is it?

Words and phrases that explain WHY something happens (give reasons/causes). BECAUSE (conjunction): "I stayed home because I was sick" (most common, informal-formal). SINCE/AS (conjunctions): "Since/As it was raining, I stayed home" (more formal, reason is already known). DUE TO/BECAUSE OF/OWING TO (prepositions + noun/gerund): "I stayed home due to/because of/owing to the rain" or "due to being sick". THEREFORE/CONSEQUENTLY/AS A RESULT (formal, sentence connectors): "It was raining. Therefore, I stayed home." SO (conjunction, informal): "I was sick, so I stayed home."

2

How to form it

SubjectPositiveNegativeQuestion
BECAUSE (+ clause)I stayed home because I was sick. / Because it was raining, I stayed home.not applicableWhy? - Because I was tired.
SINCE/AS (+ clause)Since/As it was raining, I stayed home. (formal, known reason)not applicablenot common in questions
DUE TO/BECAUSE OFI stayed home due to/because of the rain. / due to being sick. / due to the fact that...not applicablenot applicable
THEREFORE/AS A RESULTIt was raining. Therefore, I stayed home. / As a result, I stayed home.not applicablenot applicable
  • • BECAUSE: + subject + verb (clause) → because I was sick (most common)
  • • Position: mid-sentence or start (with comma) → I stayed home because... / Because..., I stayed home
  • • SINCE/AS: + clause (more formal, implies reason is already known)
  • • DUE TO/BECAUSE OF/OWING TO: + noun/pronoun/gerund → due to the rain / due to being sick
  • • NOT: due to I was sick* → use due to + noun OR because + clause
  • • THEREFORE/CONSEQUENTLY/AS A RESULT: connect sentences (formal) → sentence. Therefore, sentence.
  • • SO: conjunction (informal) → I was sick, so I stayed home
  • • FOR: archaic/literary reason (rarely used) → He left, for he was tired
3

When to use it

  1. 1

    BECAUSE — most common, any position

    "I stayed home because I was sick." / "Because it was raining, I stayed home." / "Why are you late? - Because there was traffic."

  2. 2

    SINCE/AS — more formal, reason already known

    "Since you're here, let's start." (we both know you're here) / "As it's your birthday, I bought you a gift." / "Since it was late, I went home."

  3. 3

    DUE TO/BECAUSE OF — + noun/gerund

    "The flight was cancelled due to bad weather." / "I stayed home because of the rain." / "He succeeded due to hard work." / "Due to being ill, she missed class."

  4. 4

    OWING TO — formal alternative to due to/because of

    "Owing to technical difficulties, the show is delayed." / "The match was cancelled owing to rain."

  5. 5

    THEREFORE/CONSEQUENTLY/AS A RESULT — formal connectors

    "It was raining. Therefore, I stayed home." / "The train was late. Consequently, I missed my meeting." / "He didn't study. As a result, he failed."

  6. 6

    SO — informal, joins clauses

    "I was sick, so I stayed home." / "It was raining, so we cancelled the picnic." / "She was tired, so she went to bed early."

4

Common mistakes

Because of I was sick, I stayed home.

Because I was sick, I stayed home. / Due to being sick, I stayed home.

BECAUSE OF + noun/gerund. BECAUSE + clause.

Due to it was raining, I stayed home.

Because it was raining, I stayed home. / Due to the rain, I stayed home.

DUE TO + noun. Use BECAUSE for clause.

I stayed home due to of the rain.

I stayed home due to the rain.

DUE TO (not due to of*).

I was sick therefore I stayed home.

I was sick. Therefore, I stayed home. / I was sick; therefore, I stayed home.

THEREFORE needs punctuation.

5

Quick reference

  • BECAUSE: + clause (most common) → because I was sick
  • SINCE/AS: + clause (formal, known reason)
  • DUE TO/BECAUSE OF/OWING TO: + noun/gerund
  • THEREFORE/AS A RESULT: sentence. Therefore, sentence. (formal)
  • SO: informal connector → I was sick, so I stayed home
  • because I was sick (NOT because of I was sick*)
6

Natural conversation example

Explaining absence from work

B

Boss

Why didn't you come to work yesterday?
E

Employee

I stayed home because I was feeling really sick.
B

Boss

Was it due to the flu that's going around?
E

Employee

Yes, and because of my fever, I couldn't even get out of bed.
B

Boss

I understand. Since you're still recovering, maybe you should rest today too.
E

Employee

Thank you. I didn't sleep well, so I'm still very tired.
B

Boss

Take care. As a result of this flu outbreak, several people are out sick.

Practice Exercises

Complete with a reason linking word.

  1. 1.
    I stayed home I was sick.
  2. 2.
    it was raining, we stayed inside.
  3. 3.
    The flight was cancelled
  4. 4.
    I was tired, I went to bed.
  5. 5.
    It was raining. , we cancelled the trip.
  6. 6.
    I stayed home
Linking Words of ContrastAll TopicsPurpose

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