cause用作动词与名词1. 用作动词，有两类用法需注意：(1) 表示“造成”“使（发生)”，注意以下搭配：①其后可直接用造成的结果或发生的事情作宾语。如：Smoking can cause lung cancer. 吸烟可导致肺癌。Careless drivers cause accidents. 司机不小心就出事故。②后接双宾语。如：The car caused me a lot of trouble. 这车给我引来了不少麻烦。He caused his parents much unhappiness. 他弄得他父母很不愉快。I hope this will not cause you any inconvenience. 希望这不会给你造成不便。③后接不定式的复合结构作宾语。如：The cold weather caused the plants to die. 天气寒冷冻死了植物。Heating a copper bar will cause it to expand. 对铜棒加热会使它膨胀。What caused your wife to change her mind? 是什么使你的妻子改变了主意?若双宾语易位，可用介词 to / for 来引出间接宾语。如：Her irresponsible behaviour has caused her family a great deal of anxiety.=Her irresponsible behaviour has caused a great deal of anxiety to [for] her family. 她不负责任的行为已引起她的家人的莫大担扰。(2) 表示“使”“迫使”，通常接不定式的复合结构作宾语，注意不要受动词 make 的影响而用错句型。比较：是什么使她哭了?正：What caused her to cry? / What made her cry?误：What caused her cry [crying]? / What made her to cry?这个坏消息使她伤心。正：The bad news caused her to be sad.正：The bad news made her sad.误：The bad news caused her sad.2. 用作名词，有以下3种主要用法：(1) 表示“原因”，为可数名词。如：Bacteria are often a cause of disease. 细菌常常引起疾病。Smoking is one of the causes of heart disease. 吸烟是引起心脏病的一种原因。(2) 表示“理由”，为不可数名词。如：He had just cause for anger. 他有正当的理由生气。(3) 表示“事业”“奋斗目标”，为可数名词。如：He dedicated himself to the cause of science. 他献身科学事业。比较下面两句，注意cause前冠词的有无：There is no effect without a cause. 没有无因之果。Don’t complain without (good) cause. 不要无故抱怨。3. 比较cause与reason：(1) 表示造成某一事实或现象的直接原因或起因，一般要用cause（后常接of），不用reason。如：Carelessness is often the cause of fires. 疏忽大意往往酿成火灾。Friction is the cause of the match’s lighting. 摩擦是火柴点燃的原因。(2) 若是说明或解释某种行为或看法的理由，两者可通用（其后常接 for或不定式）。如：There is no cause [reason] for anxiety [to be anxious]. 没有理由焦虑。You have no reason [cause] for complaint [to complain]. 你没有理由抱怨。
