Can You Start a Sentence with Because?
Learn whether you can use because at the start of a sentence.
by Tim Martyn
Introduction
Students often ask me whether it’s OK to start a sentence with because. The short answer is yes, you can, but it depends how you use it.
The objective of this lesson is to help you work out whether you’ve used because correctly.
Note: The information in this lesson applies to written English. In spoken English – even in formal contexts – it’s perfectly natural and acceptable to break these rules. That’s because we don’t really use sentences (or punctuation) when we speak.
What are the grammar rules?
In order to use because correctly at the start of a sentence, there’s a little grammar you need to understand first.
Independent vs dependent clauses
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. An independent clause is one that expresses a complete thought. A dependent clause, on the other hand, doesn’t express a complete thought. It simply adds information to the independent clause. In fact, a dependent clause can’t exist without an independent clause – that’s why it’s called dependent.
Here are some independent clauses.
– We need to take immediate action to reverse climate change.
– Experts insist that its overall impact will be positive.
Notice how each of these clauses expresses a complete thought. It’s true that we’re missing some context – e.g. in the second sentence, we don’t know what its refers to – but from a grammatical point of view, the sentence is complete.
Now, let’s look at some dependent clauses.
– Because little was done for so many years.
– Even though some people are concerned about artificial intelligence.
Neither of these sentences expresses a complete thought. In isolation, these sentences leave you with unanswered questions. We’re left waiting for the rest of the sentence.
What makes these clauses dependent is the use of the words because and even though. These are called subordinating conjunctions. At the moment, we’re specifically interested in the word because, but there are lots of very common subordinating conjunctions, including although, as long as, if, once, since and many others.
So, how do we make dependent clauses complete? We simply connect them to independent clauses so that they’re part of the same sentence.
Look at these examples.
– Because little was done for so many years, we need to take immediate action to reverse climate change.
– Even though some people are concerned about artificial intelligence, experts insist that its overall impact will be positive.
You can see that the dependent clauses now make sense. That’s because they’ve been put in the same sentence as the independent clauses.
You’ll also notice that, in the first example, because is at the start of the sentence. This is perfectly correct because the dependent clause that contains because is connected to an independent clause.
Order of the clauses
You can put the dependent clause before the independent clause of after it. If we put the dependent clause first, the sentence will begin with because.
Here are some examples.
– Because little was done for so many years, we need to take immediate action to reverse climate change.
– We need to take immediate action to reverse climate change because little was done for so many years.
Both of these are correct. However, note that putting a clause second gives it more importance – it emphasises it. In the first example, we’re emphasising the fact that immediate action is needed, whereas in the second example, we’re putting more emphasis on the fact that little was done for so many years. It’s a subtle but important difference.
Also note that, when you put the dependent clause first, you need to put a comma at the end of the clause. Don’t use a comma if you put the dependent clause second.
Because vs because of
It’s important to note that, in addition to the conjunction because, there’s also the preposition because of. Even though they’re grammatically different, because and because of function in a very similar way.
Look at these examples.
– Because little was done for so many years, we need to take immediate action to reverse climate change.
– Because of the lack of action for so many years, we need to take immediate action to reverse climate change.
Can you see what the difference is? Because is followed by a clause (i.e. little was done) and because of is followed by a noun or noun phrase (i.e. the lack of action).
Here’s another example.
– Classes moved online because the pandemic arrived.
– Classes moved online because of the arrival of the pandemic.
Here, again, because is followed by a clause (i.e. the pandemic arrived) and because of is followed by a noun phrase (i.e. the arrival of the pandemic).
Also, like because, because of needs to be used in the same sentence as an independent clause. Otherwise, it won’t express a complete thought.
When it comes to the position of because of, the same rule applies – you can either put it at the start of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. Whatever you put second will be emphasised.
– Classes moved online because of the arrival of the pandemic.
– Because of the arrival of the pandemic, classes moved online.
Again, notice that a comma is only used in the second example.
Summary
To summarise the above rules and return to our key question of whether you can put because at the start of a sentence, the answer is yes – you can put because and because of at the start of a sentence as long as the clause or noun / noun phrase that comes directly after them is connected to an independent clause. When I say connected, I mean part of the same sentence.
In fact, if you want to emphasise the result – i.e. the part of the sentence that doesn’t contain because or because of – it’s actually better to put because / because of at the start of the sentence.
Common errors
Here are some common errors with because and how to fix them.
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| – Property prices are expected to fall. Because of the recent interest rate rises. | – Property prices are expected to fall because of the recent interest rate rises. |
| – A solution needs to be found as soon as possible. Because it is a really important problem. | – A solution needs to be found as soon as possible because it is a really important problem. |
| – Because of uncontrolled urbanisation. Life in some cities has become unbearable. | – Because of uncontrolled urbanisation, life in some cities has become unbearable. |
Quiz
Try the questions below to test what you’ve learnt about how to use because correctly.
Is the use of because in these questions correct or incorrect?
Feedback
Click below for explanations.
This is not correct. The second sentence is a dependent clause. It needs to be connected to the first sentence, which is the independent clause.
Here’s the correct sentence:
“This situation should not be accepted because it goes against fundamental human rights.”This is not correct. It can be confusing because it looks like there’s an independent clause with a subject and a verb (i.e. “employment has become”), but this is actually part of the noun phrase used after “because of”. In English, you can use “the fact that” to turn a clause into part of a noun phrase. An independent clause needs to be added to the sentence to make it complete.
Here’s an example correct sentence:
“Because of the fact that employment has become more precarious, many young people have had to take on multiple jobs.”This is not correct. It’s quite a long sentence and contains two clauses, but neither of them is an independent one – both of them are attached to “because”. To make the sentence correct, we need to add an independent clause.
Here’s an example correct sentence:
“Because artificial intelligence has become very powerful and the public is beginning to embrace it, it has become the subject of an increasing number of articles and television programs.”