Causes 
Causes
1. To cause something to happen

make 
 Plants need light and heat to make them grow.
 He was good at making people laugh.
cause - bad things, scientific and technical descriptions
 Smoking causes cancer.

lead to - to start a process that later makes something happen: 

 The research could eventually lead to a cure for many serious illnesses. 
 Over-fishing has led to a collapse in the numbers of tuna and cod in the Atlantic.
 Cutting spending budgets will inevitably lead to poorer quality public services. 

result in - to make something happen, especially something bad:

 Many household fires result in death or serious injury.
Create - to make a condition, situation, problem, or feeling start to exist:
bring about	to  make something happen, especially a change or an
improved situation:
 The war brought about enormous social change.
 So far, all attempts to bring about peace have failed.

give rise to a	formal phrase,   makes a feeling  or problem start to exist:
generate	- to make a feeling  start to  exist and grow among a large group of people, for example interest, support, or a demand for something:
 The trial generated a lot of interest in the media. 
 Japan's economic success generated a huge demand for luxury goods. 

be responsible for to be the person or thing that makes something happen:

 The  human rights panel concluded  that  the military	was responsible for  killings, 
torture and other abuses. 
 These particles are responsible for making new protein molecules.

set off	- to  cause something to  suddenly happen, especially fighting,
protests, or debates involving a lot of people:
 The killing of Martin Luther King set off a wave of rioting across the USA. 
 The programme set off a national debate about children's school meals.

trigger verb [transitive] to make something suddenly start to happen, especially a bad 
situation such as a crisis or a war, or a medical condition: 
 The  First World War was	triggered  by a series of events, beginning  with the 
assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

 Certain foods can trigger allergies. 
 If oil prices keep rising, this could trigger an economic crisis.



2. Ways of saying that something is caused by another thing

be caused by: 
 Many illnesses are caused by stress.
 Almost half of all accidents are caused by speeding. (=driving too fast)

be the result of / result from to happen because of something else that happened
or was done:
 He said the success of his company was the result of hard work by all the staff.
 Greenhouse gases are the direct result of pollution from cars and factories.
 Meningitis results from an inflammation around the brain.
 These conditions result from a combination of economic and social factors.

arise from verb [intransitive] if a problem or a serious situation arises from something,
it starts to happen because of it:
 A number of problems arose from the break-up of the former Soviet Union.
 People are now much more aware of the dangers arising from asbestos dust.

stem  from phrasal verb  if something	stems  from  another thing, it  develops  from  it
and there is a direct link with it, even though this link is not always immediately obvious: 
 His emotional problems stemmed from an unhappy childhood.
 The  present  difficulties	stem  from  the recession  and the collapse of the housing
market. 



3. To be one of the things that cause something to happen

play  a part	if  something	plays  a part, it is one of several things  that  causes 
something to happen:
 No one knows exactly what causes the disease. Genetic factors are thought to play a
part.
 The rioting in the capital played a major part in the collapse of the government.

be a factor to be one of several things that affect something:

 Public pressure against nuclear power was definitely a factor in their decision.
 The  parent's influence	is  a major factor in  a child's progress at  school. (=a very
important factor)

contribute to	verb  [intransitive] if  something	contributes to  a situation,  it is one of
the things that cause that situation to happen or become worse, but it is not one of the
main causes: 
 Methane gas is known to contribute to the greenhouse effect.
 Television often gets blamed for contributing to the decline of family life.
 Passive smoking could contribute to the development of respiratory diseases among 
nonsmokers.
 It is acknowledged that  unhappiness is a contributing  factor  in the development of
certain illnesses. 

influence verb [transitive] if something influences another thing, it has an effect on it,
although it does not cause it directly:
 Weber demonstrated that culture and religion influenced economic development.
 Genetic factors may influence how the central nervous system reacts to nicotine.
4. Something that causes another thing to happen 

cause noun [countable]:

 Scientists are still trying to find the cause of the disease.
 Investigators have visited the scene to establish the cause of the accident. (=find out
what the cause is) 
 Polluted water is one  of  the	major causes of  death  among young children  in some
countries. 
 Almost certainly, the  underlying cause of  the  war was the need  for oil. (=the  most
important cause, even though it is not immediately obvious)
 Scarman was in no doubt  that  the root  cause of  the rioting was  unemployment and
poor living  conditions.  (=the most important cause,  even though it is not immediately 
obvious)

factor noun [countable] one of several causes of a situation or condition: 

 The  research tried to  identify the  key factors  (=most important factors)  affecting
economic change.
 The  committee studied a wide range of  social, economic,  and	environmental 
factors.
 Studies have shown  that alcohol is a	contributory  factor in  10% of  all accidents in
Britain  (=it is one of  the  things that causes accidents,  often in combination  with other 
things)
 Cost  is often the deciding factor  when choosing any product. (=the  main factor that 
makes you choose to do something)

origins	noun  [plural] the  first causes from which a situation,  condition  etc has 
developed: 
 The book describes the origins of modern science. 
 The origins of Sudan's debt crisis go back to the early 1970s.
 For some  patients, understanding  the origins of  their fears is a long and painful
process.
 The dispute between the two families had its origins in the battle of Wakefield.

source	noun  [countable] something  that causes something else to  develop, for 
example a disagreement, a feeling, or an infection:
 Housework can become a major source of conflict between couples. 
 The fact that the two words are so similar can be a source of confusion.
 Further study was necessary to identify the source of the infection.

root noun [countable] the original and most important cause of something, especially a 
problem:
 They failed to get to the root of the problem. (=discover the main cause)
 Bad experiences in childhood lie at the root of many psychological disorders. (=they 
are the main cause)
