I
noun
1
BAD : The cause why I want to change my job is as follows.
GOOD : The reason why I want to change my job is as follows.
BAD : For this cause the journey took a long time.
GOOD : For this reason the journey took a long time.
◆◆◆
cause = an action, event, situation etc that makes something happen: 'The cause of the fire is still being investigated.' 'These outbreaks of violence will continue to occur until the causes have been eliminated.'
reason = something that provides an explanation: 'I'm sure that they must have good reasons for wanting to live abroad.' 'The reason why there is only one applicant is that the job wasn't advertised.'
2
BAD : The police wanted to know the cause for the accident.
GOOD : The police wanted to know the cause of the accident.
◆◆◆
reason for sth BUT cause of sth : 'The underlying causes of the present dispute date back to 1987.'
Note however: cause for concern/alarm/complaint/hope etc : 'The new rise in unemployment has given the government cause for concern.'
3
BAD : Smoking is one of the most important causes of lung cancer.
GOOD : Smoking is one of the major causes of lung cancer.
◆◆◆
a major/chief/primary cause (NOT important )
II
verb
1
BAD : This causes that the children look for affection elsewhere.
GOOD : This causes the children to look for affection elsewhere.
◆◆◆
cause sb to do sth (NOT cause that ): 'A week-long power failure caused the whole computer network to shut down.'
2
BAD : Acid rain is caused by several reasons.
GOOD : Acid rain has several causes.
◆◆◆
Do not use reason after be caused by : 'The autopsy showed that her death was caused by liver failure.'