Conjunctions: causes, reasons, results and purpose

Conjunctions describing causes, reasons, results and purpose are subordinating conjunctions.

Conjunctions: causes, reasons and results

The following conjunctions are commonly used to connect causes/reasons and results. Because, as and since are very similar in meaning.

conjunction	cause/reason	result
BecauseSinceAs	our local shop has closed,	I have to go a supermarket two miles away to get my groceries.

Or

result	conjunction	cause/reason
I don’t buy the paper every morning any more	becausesinceasnow (that)	our local shop has closed.

See also

• As, because or since?

Or

cause/reason	conjunction	result
Our local shop has closed	so	I don’t buy the paper every morning any more.

warning

When we use a *so-*clause to connect a cause or reason to a result, the *so-*clause must come second:

• I’m on a diet so I have stopped eating chocolate.

Conjunctions: purpose

We use the following conjunctions to talk about purposes or goals. So and so that are more common than so as and in order that. So as is rather informal. In order that is more formal than the others.

action	conjunction	purpose/goal
I asked him to move	soso thatso asin order that (formal)	I could see the screen better.

We don’t usually put the subordinating clause first. When we do, it is more formal.

conjunction	purpose/goal	action
SoSo thatIn order that	I could see the screen better,	I asked him to move.

See also

• Beside or besides?
• Conjunctions
• Discourse markers (so, right, okay)
• So that or in order that?