Chapter 3 CAUSAL ANALYSIS: SENTENCES
WHAT IS CAUSAL ANALYSIS? Causal analysis is a way of thinking that is used to analyze problems or different situations. • Parts of causal analysis: •
A causal analysis has two parts: the cause/reason and the effect/result. If we ask why students have difficulty with English, why there is a lot of traffic in a city, or why the prices of certain goods are high, it means we are asking about the cause/reason. If we talk about what will happen if there is a lot of traffic in a city or the effect of high prices of goods on people, it means we are talking about the effect/result.
HOW TO MAKE CAUSAL ANALYSIS SENTENCES: VOCABULARY ITEMS
Cause/reason sentences (1) Conjunctive adverbs followed by a sentence (subject + verb) Because / as / since + sentence (subject + verb) Ex. People come to Hail in the summer because the weather is nice. People come to Hail in the summer as the weather is nice. People come to Hail in the summer since the weather is nice. • (2) Conjunctive adverbs followed be a noun / noun phrase Because of / on account of / owing to / due to + noun / noun phrase Ex. People come to Hail in the summer because of the nice weather. People come to Hail in the summer on account of the nice weather. People come to Hail in the summer owing to the nice weather. •
EFFECT/RESULT SENTENCES The following words introduce effects/results: •
So can be used in a sentence or at the beginning of a new sentence.
Ex. Japanese cars are strong and reliable, so people like to buy them. Japanese cars are strong and reliable. So, people like to buy them. • As
a result / therefore / consequently / thus / for this reason/ usually come at the beginning of a sentence. Ex. Petrol is very cheap in Saudi Arabia. As a result, people buy big cars. Petrol is very cheap in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, people buy big cars. Petrol is very cheap in Saudi Arabia. Thus, people buy big cars. Petrol is very cheap in Saudi Arabia. Consequently, people buy big cars. Petrol is very cheap in Saudi Arabia. For this reason, people buy big cars.
VERBS Verbs: some verbs are used to connect cause/reason with effect/result. (1) cause/reason + cause / bring about / lead to /results in + effect/result Ex. Air pollution causes many health problems for people. Air pollution brings about many health problems for people. Air pollution leads to many health problems for people. Air pollution results in many health problems for people. (2) effect/result + result from / (be) caused by + cause/reason Ex. Many health problems for people result from air pollution. Many health problems for people are caused by air pollution.
CAUSAL ANALYSIS: PLAYING AROUND We can join causes and effects in several ways. Let’s take a look at these two sentences: English is important to get a good job. (cause/reason) More people are learning English. (effect/result) How can we join them? Here are some ways: More people are learning English because it is important to get a good job. • More people are learning English due to its importance in getting a good job. • English is important to get a good job, so more people are learning it. • English is important to get a good job. Consequently, more people are learning it. •