17 Cause and effect

Many of the phrasal verbs in this unit are usually used in quite formal contexts. Using these phrasal verbs will help you to improve your style when writing formal correspondence, giving presentations and writing reports and essays. Look at these formal letters to the editor of a newspaper and note the phrasal verbs connected with cause and effect.

Reply Forward

Dear Sir/Madam, Recent events in Herean City point to1 a failure of central government to control spending by local and regional authorities. This failure can be put down to2 a long-standing reluctance to tackle local corruption, which has resulted in a situation where certain powerful local politicians feel free to act outside the law. This then contributes to a general atmosphere in which all politicians are mistrusted. Yours sincerely, G. Johnson (Ms) 1 make it seem likely that something is true 2 thought to be caused by (used for problems and bad experiences)

3 (slightly informal) constitute a reasonable or likely explanation for something 4 is caused by 5 if something comes out of a process or an event, it is one of the results

6 had a bad effect on the person who did it with the result that they did not achieve what they were trying to achieve 7 based on, or caused by 8 explains the reason for 9 had a noticeable effect on 10 results in

Reply Forward

Dear Sir/Madam, Arthur Power’s explanation for the growth of crime in our cities just does not add up3. He attributes recent rises in crime to a decline in leisure facilities for young people and the economic recession. But the problem in fact stems from4 a longer-term neglect of the cities, and dealing with the problem depends on accepting this fact first and foremost. We have been talking about rising crime rates for decades and after the last general election the government set up an inquiry into inner-city crime, but as yet nothing seems to have come out of 5 this enquiry. Sincerely, A. H. Lowe

Reply Forward

Dear Sir/Madam No one should be surprised that the recent education reforms have rebounded on6 the government. The reforms were rooted in7 a deep-seated elitism, which accounts for8 the fact that inequality has grown rather than diminished, as your report showed (13 November). As always, the effects have impacted most on9 poorer families, where the new system has led to parents being unable to afford a good education for their children. It all adds up to10 more misery in our schools and fewer opportunities for our young people, especially in the inner cities. Yours sincerely, D. Mitchell (Prof.)

Tip

Always make a note in your notebook if a phrasal verb is formal or informal.

17.1

17.2

17.3

17.4

Match the beginning of each sentence with its ending.

1 Aidan’s new job will undoubtedly impact a) to one clear cause of the crisis. 2 How the situation develops will depend b) from a childhood spent in the rainforest. 3 Isabelle’s behaviour may well rebound c) in ignorance. 4 Freddie’s interest in botany stems d) in significant social change. 5 Her attitude to foreigners is rooted e) to the changes in the country’s 6 It is impossible to point leadership. 7 The new education reform should result f) on the reaction from the USA. 8 Professor Bukowsky attributes the crisis g) to a civil war. 9 The situation in the country may lead h) on his family. i) on her if she is not careful.

Correct the mistakes with the particles in these sentences. There is one mistake in each sentence.

1 Theodore puts the problems down to the government, but I attribute them for the general world economic situation. 2 To a large extent, how a person accounts for the problems in their lives seems to depend largely of their own parents’ attitudes to difficult situations. 3 I believe the new legislation will contribute to a general improvement in the standard of living, but

Ben thinks it will result from increased poverty for most people. 4 The desire for reform has come off a general desire to improve the situation, but I suspect the proposed changes may rebound on the government. 5 The proposals are rooted in an appropriate awareness of the problems that exist, but I do not feel that what is proposed adds up a coherent programme of action.

Rewrite each sentence replacing the verb with a phrasal verb expression based on the word in brackets.

1 The school’s rituals and traditions have originated from its long history. (root) 2 My mother attributes the problem to a decline in moral values. (put) 3 How do you think the changes will affect your business? (impact) 4 The economic recession inevitably led to increased unemployment. (result) 5 How would you explain the recent increase in violent crime? (account) 6 Joel’s criticism of Erica may have a bad effect on him now that she’s his boss! (rebound) 7 I do not feel that the writer’s analysis of the problem makes sense. (add) 8 Some unforeseen problems have resulted from the change in legislation. (come)

Answer these questions using full sentences.

1 What would you put global warming down to? 2 What do you think has led to the current increase in violent crime in most societies? 3 How would you account for the fact that teenage girls tend to do better at school than teenage boys? 4 What would you attribute the success of social media sites to? 5 What would you point to as the main cause of social problems today? 6 What would you say your own interest in English stems from? 7 Do you think that mobile phones have resulted in more or less communication between people? 8 What do you think is the main thing that contributes to the difficulty of phrasal verbs?