ADJ
- real, root, true, underlying
- the root cause of the problem
- deeper, greater
- A greater cause for resentment is the discrepancy in pay
- biggest, chief, clear, fundamental, important, main, major, primary, prime, principal, significant
- common
- Smoking is a common cause of premature death
- likely, possible
- known, unknown
- direct, indirect
- immediate, initial
- long-term, short-term
- reasonable
- There is no reasonable cause to suspect an unnatural death
- contributory
- hidden
- social
- the social causes of ill health
VERB + CAUSE
- discover, find, identify
- attempts to identify the immediate cause of the breakdown
CAUSE + VERB
- be, lie in sth
- The real cause of the problem lies in the poor construction of the bridge
PHRASES
- cause and effect, the cause of death, due to/from/of natural causes
- He died of natural causes
ADJ
- good, great, real, reasonable
VERB + CAUSE
- have
- We have good cause to believe that he was involved in the crime
- find
- The experts may find cause to disagree with the school's decision
- give (sb)
- Her health is giving us great cause for concern
- show
- The onus is on government departments to show cause why information cannot be disclosed
PREP
- ~ for
- There is no cause for alarm
PHRASES
- cause for concern, with/without good cause, without just cause
ADJ
- deserving, good, just, noble, worthwhile, worthy
- The money she left went to various worthy causes
- bad, unjust
- common
- The different groups support a common cause
- hopeless, lost (= one that has failed or that cannot succeed)
- humanitarian, social
- communist, socialist, etc.
VERB + CAUSE
- be committed/sympathetic to, champion, fight for, further, help, promote, serve, support
- young men willing to fight for the cause She was keen to do anything that would further the cause
- take up
- She has taken up the cause of animal rights
- plead
- He pleaded the cause of the local fishermen
PREP
- in a/the ~
- prominent figures in the socialist cause
- in the ~ of
- to disregard the strict letter of the law in the cause of true justice
PHRASES
- a cause celebre (= a controversial issue that attracts a great deal of public attention), (all) for/in a good cause
- The function took a lot of organizing, but was all in a good cause