Have you ever wonder what the differences between because and cause are? The difference between these two similar-sounding words is not just a matter of pronunciation, but also of grammatical usage. To understand this, let’s start with the basic definition.
Summary Table
| Because | Cause |
| Subordinate clause, conditional clause | Main clause, conditional clause |
| Noun, auxiliary verb | Verb |
| Followed by subject | Followed by object |
Definitions
Because means ‘on account of’ or ‘because of’ and is used in a sentence. For example, If I tell you because I love you, it means that you are my reason why I have given this gift.
A cause is a reason or explanation for an event. It is the reason that something happens. For example, if you give someone a gift, make it clear what the cause of your gift is because you want them to know why you are giving them this gift.
Because vs Cause
The difference between because and cause is that because is a subordinate clause, while cause is a main clause. Because causes are used to give the reader more information about the situation. Cause merely describes the action of an event without any further explanation.
Cause can be used as a verb, while because can only be used as a noun. For example, “We will go to college because I asked you to”. Cause can also be used as an adjective, while because cannot be used in this way. For example, “The cause of the accident was due to careless driving by a drunk driver” and “The reason for the accident was due to a drunk driving by a careless driver.”
Cause and because can both be used in conditional clauses, but the difference is that because is used only to explain why something cannot be done or why it did not happen. “If we go to the beach because of the storm, we will have to return home when the storm is over.” Here, because explains why we are not going to the beach at that time.
Because can also be used as an auxiliary verb in questions, while cause cannot be used in this way. For example, “Is it the cause of the accident or because of the storm?” Here, because can be used as an auxiliary verb in questions.
Cause is often followed by an object, while because is always followed by a subject. For example, “The cause of the accident was due to careless driving by a drunk driver” and “The reason why the accident happened was because of a drunk driver’s careless driving.”
It is important to note that even though the word “because” often appears at the beginning of sentences, it is not always correct to use the word “because” in that position. It is often better to place it at the end of a sentence or sentence fragment because it shows that you are referring back to the previous statement and making a connection between two sentences.
