Cause, reason, purpost and result

1. Cause and reason
You probably know how to use words like 'because', 'since' and 'as' to refer to the cause of or reason for something. Here are some other ways of connecting clauses to express causes and reasons. Note how verbs and nouns can do the same job as conjunctions.

An accident. Here are several ways of talking about it.
_ Owing to the icy conditions, the two lorries collided.
_ The collision was due to the icy conditions (adj- đóng băng).
_ The collision was caused by ice on the road.
_ The cause of the collision was ice on the road.

Here are some other 'cause' words and typical contexts they are used in.
_ The rise in prices sparked off  (v- khuấy động) a lot of political protest.
_ The President's statement gave rise to/ provoked (v- khiêu khích, chọc tức)/ generated a lot of criticism (n- phê bình, phê phán, chỉ trích).
_ The new law has brought about/ led to great changes in education.
_ This problem stems from (v- xuất phát từ) the inflation of recent years.
_ The court-case arose (arise v- nảy sinh ra, xảy ra) out of allegations (n- luận điệu, ý để vin vào) made in a newspaper.

2. Reasons for purpose of doing things
_ Her reason for not going with us was that she had no money.
_ I wonder what his motives (n- động cơ) were in sending that letter?
_ I wonder what prompted (v- thúc giục, gợi ý) him to send that letter?
_ She wrote to the press with the aim (n- ý định) of exposing the scandal.
_ I've invited you here with a view to resolving our differences.
_ He refused to answer on the grounds that his lawyer wasn't there.
_ The purpose of her visit was to inspect (v- thanh tra) the equipment.

3. Results
_ He did no work. As a result/ As a consequence/ Consequently, he failed his exams.
_ The result/consequence of all these changes is that no-one is happy any more.
_ His remarks resulted in everyone getting angry.
_ The events had an outcome (n- hậu quả) that no-one could have predictied. (v-báo trước)
_ The upshot of all these problems was that we had to start again.
_ When the elections results were announced, chaos ensued. (lộn xộn đã xẩy ra)

Other examples;
_ The announcement provoked/ generated a strong attack from the opposition.
_ The new Act of Parliament (nghị viện, quốc hội) has brought about/ led to great changes in industry.
_ The train crash was caused by/ due to a signalling fault.
_ A violent (adj- hung dữ) storm caused the wall to collapse.
_ The food shortages (n- thiếu thốn) sparked off riots in several cities.
_ The food shortages stemmed from/ arose out of poor management of the economy.