Cause & Consequence
Cause & Consequence
At this level the cause-and-effect vocabulary multiplies: daardoor, daarom, vandaar and bijgevolg all follow a cause, but they say subtly different things about what kind of consequence you mean.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
daardoor for a mechanical result, daarom for a reasoned one
De trein was vertraagd. Daardoor kwam ik te laat. / Ik was ziek. Daarom bleef ik thuis.
The train was delayed. As a result I was late. / I was ill. That's why I stayed home.
daardoor means 'as a result of that' and describes an outcome nobody chose. daarom means 'that is why' and introduces a decision or motivated action. English 'so' and 'therefore' cover both, so the distinction has to be made deliberately: choosing daarom for a mechanical consequence sounds as if someone decided the train's delay would make you late.
Both are adverbs, so they force inversion
Daardoor kwam ik te laat. Daarom blijf ik thuis.
As a result I was late. That's why I'm staying home.
These connectors occupy first position in their sentence, which means the verb comes second and the subject third — kwam ik, blijf ik. This is what separates them from conjunctions like omdat and doordat, which introduce a subordinate clause with the verb at the end. Mixing the two systems up is the commonest structural error in argumentative writing.
Formal register: bijgevolg, derhalve, met als gevolg dat
De regels zijn gewijzigd; bijgevolg vervalt de eerdere afspraak.
The rules have changed; consequently the earlier agreement lapses.
bijgevolg and derhalve are the formal equivalents of 'consequently' and 'therefore', at home in reports and legal text. met als gevolg dat ('with the result that') introduces a full clause and is common in journalism. vandaar dat is a mid-register alternative meaning 'hence', and note that vandaar dat behaves as a conjunction, sending its verb to the end.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- as a result
- English
- that's why
- English
- hence
- English
- consequently
- English
- as a consequence
- English
- the consequence
- English
- the cause
- English
- to lead to
- English
- to cause
- English
- attributable to
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