Word familyadjectivecausalcausationalcausativecauselessnouncausalitycausationcausationismcausationistcauselessnesscausercauseadverbcausallycausativelycauselessly
CAUSEto make something happen, especially something bad 导致,引起,使发生
Heavy traffic is causing delays on the freeway.
交通拥挤使高速公路通行不畅。
The fire caused £15,000 worth of damage.
这场火灾造成了价值1.5万英镑的损失。
cause something for somebody
The oil spill is causing problems for coastal fisheries.
石油泄漏在给沿海渔场带来种种问题。
cause concern/uncertainty/embarrassment etc
The policy changes have caused great uncertainty for the workforce.
政策上的改变给劳动人口带来了很多未知数。
I’m sorry if I caused any confusion.
对不起,我可能给大家造成了混乱。
cause somebody trouble/problems etc
You’ve caused us all a lot of unnecessary worry.
你给我们大家带来了不必要的担心。
Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause offence (=offend you).
对不起,我不是故意要冒犯你。
cause somebody/something to do something
What caused you to change your mind?
是什么使你改变了主意?
5Do not say ‘cause that someone does something’. Say cause someone to do something.
不要说 ‘cause that someone does something’. 而要说cause someone to do something.
nRegister
In everyday English, people usually use the expression make somebody do something rather than cause somebody to do something:
What made you change your mind?
是什么使你改变了主意?
nGRAMMAR: Comparison
cause
Someone or something causes something:
Investigators are trying to find out what caused the accident.
Something causes a person or thing to do something:
The warmer temperatures caused the ice caps to melt.
The injury caused him to lose the game.
✗Don’t say: cause that someone does something
make
Someone or something makes another person or thing do something:
The warmer temperatures made the ice caps melt.
The injury made him lose the game.
✗Don’t say: make someone/something to do something
nCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1 : to make something happen, especially something bad 导致,引起,使发生
nouns
cause a problem
The heavy rain has been causing serious problems on the roads.
cause trouble
I decided not to complain because I didn’t want to cause trouble.
cause damage
A fire had broken out and caused severe damage to the roof.
cause (a) disease
Scientists are trying to find out what causes the disease.
cause injury
Rugby is one of the sports that are most likely to cause injury.
cause pain
The infection can cause severe pain.
cause death
The famine caused the death of up to 400,000 people.
cause (a) delay
Bad weather caused delays at many airports.
cause an accident
75% of accidents are caused by speeding.
cause chaos/disruption
Floods caused chaos across much of the country.
cause concern/alarm
Environmental issues are causing widespread concern.
cause confusion
Teachers say the reforms will cause confusion in schools.
cause offence/embarrassment (=offend/embarrass someone)
How can I refuse the invitation without causing offence?
THESAURUS
cause to make something happen, especially something bad 导致,造成〔尤指坏事〕
Bad weather has caused a lot of problems on the roads.
恶劣的天气给交通造成了很多问题。
The fault caused the whole computer system to shut down.
这个错误使整个电脑系统崩溃。
make somebody/something do something to cause someone to do something, or cause something to happen. Make is less formal than cause, and is the usualword to use in everyday English 促使某人做某事/某事发生〔make不如cause正式,是日常英语的常用单词〕
What made you decide to become a teacher?
你怎么会决定当教师的?
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.
对不起,我并不是有意要惹你哭。
Gravity is the force which makes the planets move round the Sun.
引力是行星绕太阳运行的动力。
be responsible for something if someone or something is responsible for something bad, they caused it to happen 是造成某事的原因〔指坏事〕
The excessive heat was responsible for their deaths.
它们的死亡是气温超高所致。
A small militant group was responsible for the bombing.
策动这次炸弹袭击的是一个激进的小团体。
bring about something to make something happen – used especially about changes or improvements 引起某事,带来某事〔尤指变化或进步〕
The Internet has brought about enormous changes in society.
因特网带来了巨大的社会变革。
It’s important that we do everything we can to bring about peace.
我们一定要竭尽所能实现和平。
result in something if an action or event results in something, it makes that thing happen 导致某事,造成某事
The fire resulted in the deaths of two children.
火灾造成两名儿童死亡。
The decision is likely to result in a large number of job losses.
这个决定可能会导致很多人失业。
lead to something to cause something to happen eventually after a period of time 引起某事,导致某事
The information led to several arrests.
这一线索致使若干人被捕。
A poor diet in childhood can lead to health problems later in life.
儿童时期的不良饮食会造成日后的健康问题。
trigger if one event triggers another, it suddenly makes the second event happen 引发,触发
The incident triggered a wave of violence.
这一事件引发了一轮暴力浪潮。
An earthquake off Java’s southern coast triggered a tsunami.
爪哇岛南部海岸的地震引发了海啸。
precipitate formal to make a very serious event happen very suddenly, which will affect a lot of people 使突然发生,引发〔严重的事件〕
The withdrawal of foreign investment would precipitate an economic crisis.
外资的撤出将会引发经济危机。
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand precipitated World War I.
cause for• FAA officials see no cause for alarm in safety procedures.
in a good cause• But Will took it lying down - all in a good cause of course.• Hell, forgive and forget because it's all in a good cause.• It's all in a good cause. 6.• There speaks the nineteenth century: all gone, but in a good cause.• There is no excuse for inflicting them on your fellow-citizens by saying it is done in a good cause.• It was in a good cause.