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# cause

«cause» in Mova's school dictionary: **What makes something happen: "The cause of the fire was a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (cause, causes); verb (cause, causes, caused, causing)

### meaning for a pupil

1) What makes something happen: "The cause of the fire was a candle." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#m1)

2) As a verb, to make something happen: "Ice can cause accidents." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#m2)

3) A goal or idea that people support: "a good cause". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#m3)

4) A cause can also be a reason to feel or do something, as in "cause for worry". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In science, "cause and effect": one thing (cause) makes another (effect) happen; good scientists test causes carefully. In reading, find the cause and effect in a story. In safety: think about what might cause an accident. Phrases: cause and effect, the cause of, for a good cause, cause trouble.

### examples

- What was the cause of the accident? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#x1)
- Heat causes ice to melt. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#x2)
- Germs cause many illnesses. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#x3)
- Running in the corridor can cause accidents. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#x4)
- We raised money for a good cause. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#x5)
- The storm caused a lot of damage. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#x6)
- Cause and effect: rain causes puddles. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#x7)
- Don't cause trouble. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#x8)
- The Beasts, too, had cause for fight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/#x9)

### note

Things happening together do not always mean one causes the other. "Because" comes from "by cause". "Cause" is often used for bad things ("cause damage").

### In the corpora

- [Lending money to friends can cause arguments, so many grown-ups only lend what they could afford to lose.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/8-borrowing-and-debt/22/)
- [Antibiotics kill bacteria but do nothing against colds, which are caused by viruses.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/20-the-doctor-and-the-chemist/20/)
- [Diabetes is not caused by eating one too many sweets, and with care people with diabetes live normal lives.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/23-when-grandma-and-grandad-need-more-help/8/)
- [Speed limits exist because faster cars cause worse accidents, especially near schools and homes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/30-police-courts-and-prison/16/)
- [Volunteering means working without pay to help a good cause, like Gran's shift at the charity shop.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/32-bad-news-protests-and-helping-others/18/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «cause» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cause/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.