The word "cause" is used to explain why things happen. You can use "cause" as a verb or as a noun when providing the reason or the explanation for a situation. Don’t confuse "cause" with "because." The word "because" is a type of conjunction.
These sentences and questions demonstrate how "cause" can be used as a verb:
Two children playing with matches caused the fire. (How did the fire start? Two children were playing with matches. They started the fire. They caused it to happen.)
What causes our boss to get so angry? (What happens to make him angry?)
A drought is causing my grass to turn brown. (If it hasn’t been raining, that’s the reason for the dry, brown grass.)
What caused those people to riot?
What’s causing that noise I hear underneath my car?
The next set of examples show how "cause" can be used as a noun:
What was the cause of the fire? (What started it?)
What’s the cause for his anger?
Poor soil and a lack of rain are the main causes for dry, brown grass.
A hole in the muffler is the cause for the noise.
One other interesting use for "cause" as a noun is as a substitute for the word charity:
Do you know of any good causes that I can contribute money to this year?
Your donations will go to a good cause. The money will help feed starving people.
