This document summarizes a class about prepositional phrases indicating cause and effect. It discusses different types of cause and effect phrases like "as a result of", "because of", and "due to". It provides examples of how to use these phrases and contrasts them with phrases like "despite" and "in spite of" which indicate contrast. Exercises are included for students to practice identifying and using these different types of prepositional phrases. The document concludes with a brief section about future tenses in English.

1. Week 3
Prepositional Phrases: Cause
and Effect, Contrast
CLASS 2
DR. RUSSELL RODRIGO

2. Outline
Cause and Effect:
As a Result of,
Because of, Due to
Cause and Effect:
So/Such, That, So
Many/Much.. That
Contrast: Despite, In
Spite of

4. Exercise 2
1. False
2. False
3. True
4. True
Exercise 3 A
1. Despite
2. As a result of
3. So, that
4. Due to
5. Such, that
Exercise 3 B
1. B
2. A
3. A

5. Cause and Effect: As a result of,
Because of, Due to
As a result of, because of, and due to are
multi-word prepositions. They begin a
prepositional phrase that gives the cause
of or reason for the event in the rest of the
sentence.
u The tree fell as a result of the storm.
u Driving was difficult because of the
snow.
u Class was cancelled due to the bad
weather.
u Remember:
u A prepositional phrase is a
preposition + a noun or noun
phrase. When a prepositional
phrase is first in a sentence, put a
comma after it.
u Because of the traffic, we were
late.
u We were late because of the
traffic.

6. Because of and because are
similar in meaning, but they
are used with different
structures:
u Because + of + noun/noun
phrase
u We stayed home
because of the rain.
u Because + subject + verb
u We stayed home
because it was raining.
In formal writing, due to the fact
that + subject + verb is
sometimes used instead of due
to + noun phrase
u They left town due to the
hurricane.
u They left town due to the
fact that a hurricane was
approaching.
As a result of is used to
introduce the cause of an
event. As a result introduces
the effect or result of the cause
mentioned in the previous
sentence.
u As a result of poor sales, the
company closed.
u Sales were poor. As a result,
the company closed.

7. Exercises 4 & 5
1. Because of
2. Because/due to the fact that
3. Because
4. Due to
5. Because of
6. As a result of
7. As a result,
8. Due to
9. Due to the fact that
10. Due to
1. Because of the teacher’s strike
2. As a result of their low test scores
3. Because of the noise
4. Due to the class website,
5. Due to the spread of the flu,
6. As a result of the fire

8. Cause and Effect: So/Such…That, So
Many/Much.. That
1. Use so + an adjective/adverb to
give a cause or reason; the effect
or result follows in a that clause.
2. Many, much, few, or little + a noun
can also go between so and a
that clause.
3. You can also use such + an
adjective + a noun to give a
cause or reason for an effect or
result in a that clause.
4. Remember: That is often omitted in
conversation.
u The exam was so easy that we finished it early.
u He drove so quickly that he crashed the car.
u He had so much homework that he didn’t go
out.
u She had so few friends that she often felt lonely.
u It was such an easy exam that I finished early.
u It was such an easy exam that I finished early.
u It was such an easy exam I finished early.

9. Exercises 6 & 7 (pp. 440-441
Exercise 6
1. So
2. So
3. so many
4. So much
5. Such
6. So
7. So many
8. Such a
Exercise 7
1. So many
2. Such
3. So much
4. So
5. So many
6. So
7. So little
8. such

10. Contrast: Despite, In Spite of
Despite/In Spite of + noun/noun phrase
1. Despite and in spite of introduce
information that is surprising or unexpected
or that contrasts with information in the rest
of the sentence.
2. Despite and in spite of are followed by a
noun or a noun phrase.
3. Despite and in spite of can come at the
beginning or end of a sentence. Use a
comma when they come at the beginning
of the sentence.
4. In formal writing, the fact that + subject +
verb is sometimes added to despite and in
spite of.
u She got the job despite her lack of experience.
u She got the job in spite of her lack of
experience.
u We went on a picnic despite the storm.
u We went on the picnic in sprite of the storm.
u Despite the cold water, I went swimming.
u I went swimming despite the cold water.
u We went on a picnic in spite of the fact that
there might be a storm.

11. Exercises 8 and 9(pp. 441-443
8
1. I took lessons a s a child.
2. I didn’t know anything about music.
3. My parents’ threats of punishment
4. My fear of failure
5. I don’t play the guitar well now,
6. My dreams of being a musician,
7. My lack of singing talent,
8. My inexperience singing on stage
9
1. Despite
2. Despite the fact that
3. As a result,
4. Despite the fact that
5. As a result of
6. As a result of
7. So much
8. So much
9. Because of
10. Despite

12. Exercise 10
1. In spite of Kate’s fear of heights, she learned to ski. / Kate learned to ski, in spite of her fear of heights.
2. Despite the fact that Margaret is an excellent dancer, she was not chosen by the dance company.
/Margaret was not chosen by the dance company despite the fact that she is an excellent dancer.
3. Due to Josh’s passion for winter sports, he learned to snowboard./Josh learned to snowboard due to his
passion for winter sports.
4. In spite of the fact that Maya worked on a farm, she never learned how to grow vegetables. /Maya never
learned to grow vegetables in spite of the fact that she worked on a farm.
5. As a result of Mark’s natural musical talent, he learned to play the violin by himself./Mark learned to play violin
by himself as a result of his natural musical talent.
6. Ben is so impatient that he stopped taking art lessons after just one month.
7. Because of Henry’s good computer skills, he was able to build his own website without any help./Henry was
able to build his own website without any help because of his good computer skills.
8. Tomas is such a wonderful pianist that his friends love to hear him play.

13. Future Tenses
u Future perfect progressive
u The future perfect progressive tense
indicates that an action will continue
until a certain future time.
u On Tuesday I will have been working
on this paper for six weeks.
u Future progressive
u The future progressive tense indicates a continuing in
the future.
u The government will be monitoring the phones in the lab.
u Future perfect
u The future perfect tense indicates that an action will be
finished by a certain time.
u
u By Thursday, the President will have apologized for his
mistake.