This week on "Ask a Teacher", we
answer a question from Achmad in Suriname. He asks:
Question: Can you
start a sentence with “because”?
- Achmad, Suriname.
Answer: Hello
Achmad. The answer is YES. Today, let’s talk about “because”.
BECAUSE / BECAUSE OF
The word BECAUSE is a conjunction
that means “for the reason that”. A conjunction is a word that joins other words
or groups of words in a sentence.
conjunction: conjunción; that means: que significa; for the reason
that: por el motivo que; that joins: que une o hilvana;
To answer your question: Yes, you
can start a sentence with BECAUSE. However, to be a complete sentence,
it must express a complete thought. Here are some examples of complete sentences
beginning with BECAUSE:
to
answer your question: para responder tu pregunta; start a sentence with:
comenzar una oración con; it must express: ésta debe expresar; a
complete thought: una idea o pensamiento completo;
BECAUSE I was happy, I smiled.
PORQUE yo estaba feliz, sonreí.
BECAUSE
OF of the severe storm, my
Internet went down.
A CAUSA DE / DEBIDO A la
fuerte tormenta, mi Internet se cayó.
PUNCTUATION MARKS
Notice the
punctuation marks. There are commas in
the middle of the sentences and periods at the end. When we start complete
sentences with BECAUSE, this is how we punctuate them.
punctuation marks:
signos de puntuación; commas: comas; in the middle of: en el medio
de; periods: puntos finales; at the end: al final; this is how
we punctuate them: así es como las puntuamos; to punctuate: puntuar
(colocar signos de puntuación);
By themselves, “BECAUSE I was happy”
and “BECAUSE OF the severe storm” are not complete sentences. But that does not
mean they are not acceptable. In English, we begin many answers to questions in
speaking and informal writing with the
word BECAUSE.
by themselves:
por sí mismas; but that does not mean: pero ello no significa (que);
acceptable: adecuado, aceptable;
For example, suppose you are
answering a friend’s text message.
Listen to this question and the answer:
suppose you are
answering: suponte que estás respondiendo; a friend's text message:
el mensaje de texto de un/a amigo/a;
WHY did you smile?
¿POR QUÉ sonreíste?
BECAUSE I was happy (no period)
PORQUE estaba feliz
(sin punto final)
Or, imagine your coworker is asking
about your Internet:
or, imagine
your coworker: o, imagina que tu colaborador o compañero de trabajo; is
asking about: (te) está consultando por tu Internet;
WHY did your Internet go down?
¿POR QUÉ se cayó tu Internet?
BECAUSE OF the storm
(no period)
A CAUSA DE / DEBIDO A la tormenta
(sin punto final)
Notice that I did not put a period
after the responses that began with BECAUSE. They are not full sentences. But in
informal writing, such as texts or informal emails, some English speakers do put
periods after incomplete sentences.
notice that:
observa que; a period: un punto final; after the responses:
después de las respuestas; that began: que comenzaban; full sentences:
oraciones completas; in informal writing: en redacción informal; some
English speakers do put periods: algunos oradores ingleses realmente colocan
puntos finales.
And that’s Ask a Teacher for This
Week. I’m Alice Bryant.