Because, So & Therefore: The Cause Chain
The chain of cause and result: because opens the reason, so connects the result, therefore announces it formally, due to adds a noun.
Cause & Result Conjunctions
The cause chain
Every event has a reason and a result. The cause chain connects them: because opens the reason, so delivers the result, therefore announces it in formal clothes.
Because + clause — the reason
why it happenedShe stayed home because she was sick
So — the result
what happened nextShe was sick, so she stayed home
Therefore — the formal result
a new sentence, a formal suitShe was sick. Therefore, she stayed home.
Due to / because of + noun
the reason as a nounShe stayed home due to her illness
⚠️ Reason → because (clause) or due to (noun). Result → so (informal) or therefore (formal).
The Formula
The chain: reason → connector → result
The reason and the result are the same chain in different orders: because leads with the reason, so leads with the result, therefore starts fresh.
Because she was sick,she stayed home
She stayed homebecause she was sick
She was sick,soshe stayed home
The game was cancelleddue to the storm
Common Mistakes
Four chain slips
The chain breaks when two connectors carry one link, when because of tries to hold a clause, or when so that sneaks into a plain result.
Because she was sick, so she stayed home.
Because she was sick, she stayed home.
💡 Because already connects — no so needed.
She stayed home because of she was sick.
She stayed home because she was sick.
💡 because + clause, because of + noun.
She was sick so that she stayed home.
She was sick, so she stayed home.
💡 so that is for purpose — a plain result takes so.
Due to it rained, the game was cancelled.
Due to the rain, the game was cancelled.
💡 due to + noun, never a clause.
Quick Quiz
Test what you just learned
Three minutes, five questions — check what stuck. No essay questions, we promise.
He passed ___ he studied hard.
💡 معلومات إضافية2 أقسام
Reason or Result?
The chain, decided in two questions
Two questions sort the whole chain: what you give first, and whether a clause or a noun follows.
The Cause Chain Set
Match the link with its job
Five links in the chain, five jobs. The chain holds when each link sits in its place.
⚠️ Because and so are the everyday chain; therefore and due to are the formal suits.