Common Prepositions to Express Cause, Reason & Purpose in Sentences
Before discussing the Preposition of Cause, Reason, and Purpose, First, we should know about What does Preposition means. Let's start with the definition of Preposition, its functions, and examples.
Definition of Preposition
A Preposition is a part of speech that shows direction, location, time, or what introduces an object. The noun or pronoun connected by the preposition is known as the object of a preposition. Prepositions are also sometimes used with subordinate conjunctions.
Usually, a preposition is a word placed before a noun or a pronoun to show its relation to another element in the sentence. It also shows the relationship of a word to a noun or pronoun. And one of the important notes is to be mentioned: “After the prepositions, it is always necessary to use a noun.”
Functions of Prepositions
There are ten main functions of Prepositions
Head of Preposition Phrase
Noun Phrase Modifier
Noun Phrase Complement
Adjective Phrase modifier
Adjective Phrase Complement
Verb Phrase Complement
Adjunct
Adverbial
Particle
Examples of Preposition
On, in, at, to, until, about, during, before, after, throughout, outside, inside, into, over around, past, between, beyond, next to, from, since, by, versus, apart from, instead of, etc. are some of the prepositions used to describe the cause, reason and purpose in the sentence.
Preposition of Cause, Reason, Purpose
Without any helping verbs, a sentence will be incomplete. So, it is mandatory to include auxiliary verbs. Preposition relates different items to each other.
The preposition of the cause shows the reason of a happening or being in a sentence. Preposition mostly indicates the cause of something happening or the purpose of an action.
Preposition joins a verb with the noun and shows the reason for happening.
Here are some of the examples mentioned below:
They are traveling on the train.
Ruma reacted to the incident.
I am playing Ludo with my friends.
The moon shines because of the sun.
The tourists arrived on the island on a hovercraft.
Let us see some more examples of a preposition in detail:
To: This is used to show the purpose of the noun. This preposition joins a noun with a verb.
Ex: Alesha gave a hundred rupees to her brother.
For: This word is also used to show the purpose of the noun and joins a noun with usually another noun or an adjective.
Ex: They went for an interview to get a job.
From: The word “from” is used to indicate distance or direction from separation, deprivation.
Ex: She is traveling from Hyderabad to Vijayawada.
Into: This word is used to express any movement action that something enclosed.
Ex: He and his friends jumped into the well.
Around: This word can be used in two ways. It can either be used as a preposition followed by a noun, or without a following noun.
Ex: There was a massive crowd of people around the shop.
Within: This word refers to less than a specific distance from something.
Ex: The stick was within Johnny’s reach.
Between: This is frequently used to introduce a prepositional phrase that tends to consist of either two singular or plural noun phrases.
Ex: Sam is sitting between Stella and Flora.
Solved Exercises
Find out the prepositions from the following sentences
The pale twilight fell in soft waves on her face.
Ans: in; on.
The book is lying under the oakwood table.
Ans: under.
The professor placed his cup of coffee on the table before resuming the lecture.
Ans: of; under.
Did you refill the can of juice from the refrigerator?
Ans: of; from.
The nurse asked Rahul to place his hands on top of the table.
Ans: on; of.
A desk job requires you to sit in the same place for hours.
Ans: in; for.
Conclusion
In this article, we have provided the details of Preposition of cause, reason, and purpose. To understand how to use them, you have to understand the above rules and examples we have mentioned to know where to use them and in which manner. These prepositions will help you in the completion of sentences in a better and appropriate way. To understand them more clearly, you must try your hands on some sentences. Practice to make some sentences using these prepositions, and you will get amazed by the results as it is effortless & fun exercise. Once you learn how to use them, you can quickly write good content. Hope this article helped you to understand them in a better and easier way.
FAQs on Prepositions of Cause, Reason, and Purpose Explained
1. What are prepositions of cause, reason, and purpose in English grammar?
Prepositions of cause, reason, and purpose are words that explain why an action occurs. They connect a noun, pronoun, or gerund to the rest of the sentence to show the motivation or rationale behind it. While all three answer 'why', they have subtle differences:
- Cause: Indicates the direct reason something happened, often an uncontrollable event (e.g., due to, because of).
- Reason: Explains the motive behind a choice or action (e.g., from, out of).
- Purpose: Describes the intended goal or objective of an action (e.g., for, to).
2. Can you provide examples that show the use of prepositions for cause, reason, and purpose?
Certainly. Here are examples illustrating each type:
- Example for Cause: The flight was delayed on account of bad weather. (The cause for the delay was the weather).
- Example for Reason: He helped the man out of pity. (The reason for helping was his feeling of pity).
- Example for Purpose: She is practising hard to win the competition. (The purpose of practising is to win).
3. What is the main difference between a preposition showing a 'cause' and one showing a 'purpose'?
The key difference lies in the perspective. A preposition of cause explains the reason something has already happened (looking backward). It is the driver of the event. A preposition of purpose explains the intended outcome or goal of an action that is being performed (looking forward).
For instance: "The school was closed because of the flood." (Cause: The flood already happened, leading to the closure).
"She went to the shop for milk." (Purpose: The intention of going to the shop was to get milk).
4. Which common prepositions are used to indicate cause, reason, and purpose?
Different prepositions are typically used for each category to convey the specific meaning:
- For Cause/Reason: The most common are because of, due to, on account of, owing to, from, through, and out of. For example, "He succeeded through sheer determination."
- For Purpose: The most common are for, to, in order to, and so as to. For example, "You need to study well in order to pass the exam."
5. How can I correctly choose between 'due to' and 'because of' when explaining a cause?
This is a common point of confusion. Traditionally, 'due to' is used as an adjective to modify nouns and should follow a form of the verb 'to be' (is, am, are, was, were). For example: "His failure was due to a lack of preparation." Here, 'due to' modifies the noun 'failure'.
On the other hand, 'because of' is used as an adverb to modify verbs. For example: "He failed because of a lack of preparation." Here, 'because of' modifies the verb 'failed'.
6. In the sentence "He ran to the station to catch the train," how do the two uses of 'to' differ?
This sentence perfectly illustrates the difference between prepositions of direction and purpose.
- The first 'to' in "ran to the station" is a preposition of direction. It tells us where he ran.
- The second 'to' in "to catch the train" is part of an infinitive phrase that indicates the purpose of his running. It answers why he ran to the station.
7. Can a single sentence contain prepositions for both cause and purpose?
Yes, complex sentences can effectively use both to provide complete context. This allows you to state the reason for a situation and the intended action to address it. For example: "Owing to the power cut, she lit a candle to finish her homework."
- "Owing to the power cut" explains the cause.
- "to finish her homework" explains the purpose of lighting the candle.
