How to Know Whether to Use “with” or “because”
If you’ve ever wondered whether it would be more correct to say, ” Since I feel bad, I shouldn’t go to work today” or “I shouldn’t go to work today because I don’t feel better.” well, ”you’ve come to the right place. Because and because is another of those pairs of English words that seem to be synonymous , but we felt (or were told) that there was a right time and place for each one.
I vaguely remember being taught at some point during my journalistic training that from then on it should only be reserved for times when I talk about time ( I feel bad from last night ) and because it should have be reserved for reference. causation ( I feel bad because the meat has gone bad ). But the most recent school of thought says that because it can be used to indicate time or cause – provided that its use does not make the meaning of the sentence ambiguous.
Why can we choose one over the other
Without even realizing it, we can naturally choose one or the other as a union depending on whether we want to focus on the result of something or the reason behind it . Here is what the Cambridge Dictionary says about the use of the word “because”:
Because it is more common than as and Since , both in writing and orally. When we use because , we focus on the reason:
She spoke softly because she didn’t want Katherine to hear.
We will come on Sunday because David has to work on Saturday.
On the other hand, if we want to focus more on the result of things, since it may hit us as the best choice. Since the food is so delicious, it is difficult to book a table here.
However, this is a matter of preference, if you want to try to give a cause or effect a little extra emphasis – this is not a real rule.
Situations to Avoid
Most of the time, the person you are talking to (or who is reading your words) will not even notice if you dropped “since” or “because” – or even less common, “how. ”( Time to leave, as we are past the deadline for our appointment .) Your meaning is usually clear and everyone can move on.
However, you should beware of accidental ambiguity, as it can arise if it is not clear whether it is time or cause. Consider this example from Brian A. Clems of Writer’s Digest :
After breakfast we were full of energy.
This allows you to wonder if we were full of energy because of breakfast or right after breakfast?
So, in short: your use is because it is probably always correct. If your usage Since not confusing (and probably is not), then it is also correct.