General English Level 4 Version 2.1 © 2004 acl Pty Ltd GELEV4 Unit 01 Topic 05.doc LANGUAGE FOCUS 04 Adverbial clauses of reason In this activity you will learn to give reasons for doing things. The article “Good news for local residents” says: Mrs Norma Baker…. said that they were holding a meeting the following week because many people were unhappy about the location of the new centre. The Mayor said that he understood the residents concerns but that King Street was quite impossible as there was no space available. Adverbial clauses of reason tell us why something happens or why people do things. “because many people were unhappy about the location of the new centre” tells us why the residents were holding a meeting. "as there was no space available" tells us why it was impossible to build the recreational centre on King Street. Adverbial clauses of reason start with as, since or because. Information We can also use since and as in adverbial clauses of time. In adverbial clauses of reason since and as have a different meaning. They mean the same as because. Look Main clause Adverbial clause They didn't pay the bill because since as they didn't have enough money. Position of adverbial clauses of reason Adverbial clauses of reason usually go after the main clause but they can also go before the main clause too. The position depends on what you want your listener or reader to focus on. Look Adverbial clause Main clause Because Since As they didn't have enough money, they didn't pay the bill. Information When you put the adverbial clause before the main clause, you need to put a comma after the adverbial clause. 41