In English, linking words help to express cause and effect between different actions or events.

There are three main linking words categories.[1]

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• Conjunctions

• Prepositions

• Transitions

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They can be used with all the different verb tenses in English.

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Conjunctions

Conjunctions can be used to both express cause and effect. They link two complete thoughts together.

The most important linking words for cause are “because” and “since”.

For example:

• I am going to eat because I am hungry.

• Since it is late, she is going to sleep.

As you can see, if the conjugation is in the beginning of the sentence, you must use a comma to separate the two clauses.

The most important linking word for effect is “so”.

For example:

• It was raining outside, so I brought an umbrella.

• They test is tomorrow, so I can’t go out to the party. I must study instead.

As you can see, with the conjunction “so”, you must always use a comma to separate the first and second clauses.

Examples of other linking word conjugations include[2]

• As

• Thus

• Hence

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Prepositions

Linking words can form a noun phrase in order to talk about cause.

The most important ones are “due to” and “because of”.

For example:

• Because of the snow, all the roads were closed.

• I didn’t go to school due to my flu.

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Transitions

Linking words can be used in transitions to express effect.

When doing so, you are joining two complete sentences together.

The most important ones are “therefore”, “consequently”, and “as a result”.

For example:

• There is a test tomorrow; therefore, I need to study tonight.

• It snowed a lot last night. Consequently, school was canceled today.

• We didn’t study for the test. As a result, we all failed.

As you can see, you can use the transition linking words in one of two ways:

• 1st sentence; transition word, 2nd sentence.

• 1st sentence. Transition word, 2nd sentence.

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External Link : https://englishacademy101.com/linking-words-cause-and-effect/