Prepositions: Cause and Result

Prepositions are words that connect and build relationships between other words, like nouns and verbs. One type of relationship is cause and effect (or result).

In the example below, ‘because of’ is a prepositional phrase. The first part of the sentence is the cause, and the second part is the effect.

Because of his criminal record, he couldn’t find a job.

Hard work leads to success.

In the above example, the preposition ‘to‘ is added to the verb ‘lead‘ to create the cause and effect meaning. Hard work is the cause, and success is the effect. 

In the example below, the preposition ‘for‘ is joined by the reason to create the cause and effect meaning. In this sentence, horrible traffic is the cause and the late arrival is the effect.

Example :

The reason for my late arrival is the horrible traffic. 

Preposition phrases

Here are more examples of prepositional phrases that can create the cause and effect meaning.

Verb + preposition

Here are examples of verbs followed by prepositions that create the same meaning.

Noun + preposition

Finally, here are examples of nouns followed by prepositions that create the cause effect meaning.

Note: After prepositions, it is always necessary to use a noun. This may require changing a verb from a full form (‘pay‘) to the gerund form (‘paying‘).

– A consequence of not paying your bills on time is having your electricity cut off.