Cause and effect ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

 

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 53

Cause and effect

A	Collocations with cause and effect We have yet to establish the cause of this latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Mass unemployment is believed to be the root cause1 of the riots. The research team thinks that a virus is the primary cause2 of this type of cancer. The President said it would take time for the reforms to produce the desired effect. It is likely to be some weeks before we feel the full effect of the rise in interest rates. This morning’s delays to flights have had a knock-on effect3 on departures all day. The children involved in the hijack are not expected to suffer any long-term ill effects4. 1 origin 2 main cause 3 indirect result (NOT make an effect) 4 negative results (Note that ill here means bad rather than sick)
B	Other words meaning cause example meaning The advertising campaign didn’t produce the results we hoped for. lead to the results The Finance Minister’s decision to raise income tax provoked an outcry. caused a lot of public anger If teachers show favouritism, it breeds resentment. makes others feel angry and unhappy Mary didn’t believe the rumours about her boss but they planted doubts in her mind. made her feel uncertain The film star’s photo prompted speculation that she may be pregnant. caused people to suspect Email rendered the fax machine obsolete. caused to be no longer used If you want to make an insurance claim, you can set the wheels in motion by filling in this form. make something start to happen This wind will wreak havoc with my flowers! cause a lot of damage to Our new neighbours are so noisy, it’s enough to drive anyone crazy! informal, make angry and upset The strike could spell disaster for the country. cause serious problems
C	Talking about reasons and consequences Mr Ball: Why did Jack behave so badly in class? There must have been some compelling reason1 surely. He must have known there’d be dire consequences2. Miss Cane: I don’t know. I think his parents’ financial problems might be a contributing factor but he refused to give me a reason. Anyway, I sent him to the headteacher and I’m sure she’ll demand an explanation. Mr Ball: Yes, she’ll certainly make him face the consequences of his actions! 1 very powerful reason 2 very serious consequences

EXERCISES

53.1	Match the beginning of each sentence with its ending. 1 I think that computers will eventually render havoc in low-lying areas. 2 The preliminary meeting set the wheels an outcry from the staff . 3 Her mother calling her sister ‘the pretty one’ bred speculation that he is unwell. 4 I always suspected the new tax law would spell a positive result. 5 I’m sure that your hard work will produce us crazy. 6 The boss’s decision to cut wages provoked disaster for the economy. 7 The way he behaved last night planted a lot of resentment in her. 8 The minister’s absence has prompted of the new project in motion. 9 The uncertainty of the situation is driving books obsolete. 10 The floods last week wrought doubts in my mind about his honesty
53.2	Complete each sentence using a word from the opposite page. The first letters are given for you. 1 Henry’s mother d _____________ an explanation for his extraordinary behaviour. 2 Fortunately the consequences were not as d _____________ as we had anticipated. 3 Now I dread having to f _____________ the consequences of my over-hasty decision to hand in my notice. 4 Do you have any c _____________ reason for wanting to invite Zoë to come too? 5 When I asked the doctor why I felt so exhausted, he said that stress might be a c _____________ factor. 6 Can you give me any sensible r _____________ why we should do something so risky? 7 Unfortunately, the sleeping pills she’s taking are not having the d _____________ effect. 8 The hurricane has w _____________ havoc along the Florida coast. 9 I suspect that the journalist deliberately wanted to p _____________ doubts in his readers’ minds about the effectiveness of the recent security measures.
53.3	Order the words to form sentences. 1 the / next / nearly / crazy. / dust / site / building / The / me / is / from / driving / door 2 them / will / time / establish / of / It / a / the / the / take / cause / long / accident. / to 3 motion / If / now, / your / week. / things / we / next / visa / ready / should / set / in / be 4 out / customer / produced / results. / The / survey / company / surprising / carried / which / the / some
53.4	Answer these questions. 1 What is the desired effect of any medication? 2 Is a knock-on effect usually welcomed or not? 3 Which other collocation in A has a similar meaning to primary cause? 4 If a dentist gives you a local anaesthetic injection, how long does it usually take before you feel the full effect of the injection? 5 Do you think society has suffered any ill effects as the result of the invention of television? 6 Can you name an invention that has been rendered obsolete by new technology?
53.5	Use a dictionary such as the Cambridge Online Dictionary to find collocations with (a) cause and (b) effect. Write four sentences for each word.

ANSWER KEY

53.1 1 I think that computers will eventually render books obsolete. 2 The preliminary meeting set the wheels of the new project in motion. 3 Her mother calling her sister the ‘pretty one’ bred a lot of resentment in her. 4 I always suspected the new tax law would spell disaster for the economy. 5 I’m sure that your hard work will produce a positive result. 6 The boss’s decision to cut wages provoked an outcry from the staff. 7 The way he behaved last night planted doubts in my mind about his honesty. 8 The minister’s absence has prompted speculation that he is unwell. 9 The uncertainty of the situation is driving us crazy. 10 The floods last week wrought havoc in low-lying areas.   53.2 1 demanded                 4 compelling                   7 desired 2 dire                           5 contributing                 8 wrought/wreaked 3 face                          6 reason                            9 plant   53.3 1 The dust from the building site next door is nearly driving me crazy. 2 It will take them a long time to establish the cause of the accident. 3 If we set things in motion now, your visa should be ready next week. 4 The customer survey which the company carried out produced some surprising results.   53.4 1 The desired effect of any medication is to cure an infection or disease, or treat its symptoms. 2 A knock-on effect might or might not be welcomed as it can be either positive or negative. 3 Root cause. The root cause means the original source of the problem and the primary cause is the main cause amongst several possible causes. 4 It probably takes about five minutes before you feel the full effect of a dental injection. 5 Some people would argue that television has had some ill effects on society – it may, for example, have encouraged people to read less and to talk to their families less in the evenings. 6 a video or audio cassette player   53.5 Possible answers 1 The customer would not have complained without good cause. 2 The fire brigade are investigating the cause of the fire. 3 Raul is very reliable and trustworthy. He’s never given me any cause for concern. 4 I’m going to sponsor Charlotte for $30 to run ten kilometres for a children’s charity. It’s all in a good cause. 5 This new insurance policy will come into effect on 10th February. 6 The referendum had a detrimental effect on the economy. 7 Laura has excellent presentation skills, which she uses to good effect when giving lectures. 8 Sam took two tablets for his headache but he had to wait an hour for the treatment to take effect.