Tóm tắt
Hai cấu trúc, một quy tắc đơn giản:
| BECAUSE | BECAUSE OF | |
|---|---|---|
| Theo sau là | Mệnh đề (subject + verb) | Cụm danh từ (noun/noun phrase) |
| Loại từ | Liên từ (conjunction) | Giới từ kép (preposition) |
| Ví dụ | because it rained | because of the rain |
Tại sao quan trọng
Đây là lỗi cực phổ biến trong IELTS Writing Band 5-6: học sinh viết "because of it rained" (dùng preposition + clause — sai) hoặc "because the heavy rain" (dùng conjunction + noun phrase — sai). Cả hai đều là lỗi ngữ pháp cơ bản bị trừ điểm nặng.
BECAUSE + Mệnh đề (Subject + Verb)
"Because" là liên từ — nó nối hai mệnh đề.
[Main clause] + because + [subject] + [verb] + ...
- She stayed home because she was sick.
- He failed the exam because he didn't study.
- The event was cancelled because it rained heavily.
- Many people struggle with English because the grammar is complex.
"Because" cũng có thể đứng đầu câu (nhưng không nên dùng để bắt đầu câu văn trong IELTS Writing — đây là convention văn phong):
- Because she was tired, she went to bed early.
- Because the costs were too high, the project was abandoned.
Lưu ý: Trong văn nói và văn viết thông thường, "because" đứng đầu câu được chấp nhận. Nhưng trong IELTS Academic Writing, ưu tiên đặt "because" ở mệnh đề phụ phía sau.
BECAUSE OF + Cụm danh từ
"Because of" là giới từ kép — theo sau là danh từ hoặc cụm danh từ (noun phrase).
[Main clause] + because of + [noun phrase]
- She stayed home because of her illness.
- He failed the exam because of his lack of preparation.
- The event was cancelled because of the heavy rain.
- Many people struggle with English because of its complex grammar.
Có thể đứng đầu câu: - Because of the traffic, I arrived late. - Because of rising costs, many businesses had to close.
Bảng so sánh trực tiếp
| BECAUSE (+ clause) | BECAUSE OF (+ noun phrase) |
|---|---|
| because it rained | because of the rain |
| because she was ill | because of her illness |
| because prices increased | because of the price increase |
| because they lacked resources | because of the lack of resources |
| because he worked hard | because of his hard work |
| because the weather was bad | because of the bad weather |
| because demand fell | because of falling demand |
Cách chuyển đổi giữa hai cấu trúc
Khi có động từ → chuyển thành danh từ tương ứng:
| Câu với BECAUSE | Câu với BECAUSE OF |
|---|---|
| because he arrived late | because of his late arrival |
| because she failed | because of her failure |
| because it improved | because of the improvement |
| because they refused | because of their refusal |
| because demand increased | because of the increase in demand |
Luyện tập chuyển đổi:
Because traffic was congested, we missed the train. → Because of the traffic congestion, we missed the train.
Because the company invested wisely, it expanded rapidly. → Because of its wise investment, the company expanded rapidly.
Các cấu trúc nguyên nhân khác cần biết
Khi viết IELTS, tránh lặp lại "because / because of" — thay bằng các cấu trúc sau:
+ Noun phrase (giống "because of"):
| Cấu trúc | Ví dụ |
|---|---|
| due to | The delay was due to bad weather. |
| owing to | Owing to staff shortages, the service suffered. |
| as a result of | As a result of the recession, unemployment rose. |
| on account of | He was absent on account of illness. |
+ Clause (giống "because"):
| Cấu trúc | Ví dụ |
|---|---|
| since | Since prices rose, many consumers cut back. |
| as | As the economy weakened, spending fell. |
| given that | Given that resources are limited, priorities must be set. |
Lưu ý mức độ trang trọng: - since / as — trung tính, thường gặp trong writing học thuật - due to — rất trang trọng, phổ biến trong writing - on account of — rất trang trọng, ít dùng hơn - because — phổ biến nhất, phù hợp cả speaking và writing
Lỗi thường gặp
Lỗi 1: "Because of" + mệnh đề
- ❌ She left early because of she was tired.
- ✅ She left early because she was tired.
- ✅ She left early because of her tiredness.
Lỗi 2: "Because" + cụm danh từ
- ❌ The match was delayed because bad weather.
- ✅ The match was delayed because of bad weather.
- ✅ The match was delayed because the weather was bad.
Lỗi 3: "Due to" + mệnh đề
- ❌ The flight was cancelled due to the storm was severe.
- ✅ The flight was cancelled due to the severe storm.
- ✅ The flight was cancelled because the storm was severe.
Lỗi 4: "Because of" + verb-ing (gerund — được chấp nhận)
- ✅ He succeeded because of working hard. (gerund — acceptable nhưng nghe cứng)
- ✅ He succeeded because of his hard work. (noun phrase — tự nhiên hơn)
- ✅ He succeeded because he worked hard. (clause — thông dụng nhất)
Ứng dụng trong IELTS
Writing Task 1 — mô tả xu hướng:
- Sales increased because online shopping became more popular.
- The decline in public transport use was partly due to rising fares.
- Figures fell in 2008, because of the global financial crisis.
- Because the population grew rapidly, demand for housing increased.
Writing Task 2 — phân tích nguyên nhân:
- Many young people are unemployed because they lack practical skills.
- Because of the high cost of living, young adults are delaying marriage.
- Childhood obesity is rising due to poor diet and reduced physical activity.
- Since access to technology has become widespread, information is more accessible than ever.
Speaking Part 3 — giải thích lý do:
- "I think people prefer city life because there are more job opportunities."
- "Because of social media, young people feel more pressure about their appearance."
- "Crime rates are rising in some areas because unemployment is high."
Bài tập luyện
Chọn BECAUSE hoặc BECAUSE OF
- She was promoted ___ her excellent performance.
- He couldn't attend ___ he was travelling abroad.
- The project failed ___ a lack of funding.
- I was nervous ___ it was my first interview.
- ___ the cold weather, many people stayed indoors.
- They cancelled the trip ___ heavy snow was forecast.
- She improved quickly ___ her dedication to practice.
- ___ studying hard, she passed with distinction.
Viết lại câu
Dùng "because of" thay cho "because":
- She cried because she was disappointed.
- He left because the noise was unbearable.
- They succeeded because they cooperated effectively.
Dùng "because" thay cho "because of":
- Because of the poor weather, the match was postponed.
- Because of his experience, he got the job.
- Because of rising inflation, people are spending less.
Đáp án
Chọn: 1. because of | 2. because | 3. because of | 4. because | 5. Because of | 6. because | 7. because of | 8. Because of
Viết lại: 1. She cried because of her disappointment. 2. He left because of the unbearable noise. 3. They succeeded because of their effective cooperation. 4. Because the weather was poor, the match was postponed. 5. Because he was experienced, he got the job. 6. Because inflation is rising, people are spending less.
Tóm tắt nhanh
| BECAUSE | BECAUSE OF | |
|---|---|---|
| Theo sau | Subject + Verb (clause) | Noun / Noun phrase |
| Loại từ | Liên từ (conjunction) | Giới từ kép (preposition) |
| Ví dụ | because it rained | because of the rain |
| Tương đương | since, as, given that | due to, owing to, as a result of |
Kiểm tra nhanh: Sau "because/because of" là gì? - Có động từ chia (rained, was, increased) → dùng BECAUSE - Chỉ có danh từ/cụm danh từ (the rain, bad weather, a lack of...) → dùng BECAUSE OF