IUE-SFL · Level A Writing Skills · Teacher’s Copy

Unit 7
Journeys

Writing skill: conjunctions – because (reason) and so (result).

Week 5 · Travel blog post · min. 80 words

Teacher notes – Unit 7

Learning aim: Students write a short travel blog post about a journey or place. They use because to give reasons and so to describe results.

Before writing: Write two target sentences on the board and ask students to complete them: ‘I like this city because ___.’ and ‘It is sunny today, so ___.’ Ask: which one gives a reason? (because) Which one gives a result? (so). Drill with three or four more examples together.

During writing: Ask students to plan with four questions: Where? When? Who was there? What happened? Encourage a personal, friendly tone. Check they use both so and because — not only and / but.

Common errors: (1) Starting a sentence with ‘Because…’ with no main clause: ‘Because I am tired.’ → not a complete sentence. (2) Using so and because in the wrong place. (3) Writing a dry report instead of a personal story.

After writing: Students find every ‘because’ and ‘so’ in their text. They read the clause on each side. Does it make sense?

A

Model blog post

Read and analyse
Step 1

Find because and so

Read the model blog post. Click every because and so, then check.

Last spring, I took a trip to Porto with two friends from university. I chose Porto because I wanted to see the beautiful old buildings and walk along the river. We arrived late at night, so we went straight to the hotel and slept. The next morning, we explored the old town. The streets were steep and narrow, so we wore comfortable shoes. We tried a famous pastry at a bakery — it was warm and sweet. It was one of the best weekends of my year.

3 words: because, so, so
Step 2

What is the reason? What is the result?

Choose a or b.

1I chose Porto because I wanted to see the beautiful old buildings. — Which part is the reason?
b) I wanted to see the beautiful old buildings
It answers the question Why Porto?
2We arrived late at night, so we went straight to the hotel and slept. — Which part is the result?
b) we went straight to the hotel and slept
It is what happened next.
3The streets were steep and narrow, so we wore comfortable shoes. — Which part is the result?
b) we wore comfortable shoes
It is what they did about the streets.

because → gives a reason (why?). so → gives a result (what happens next?). Both are followed by a complete sentence. We usually put a comma before so, but not before because.

B

Extra practice

Build the skill
Exercise 1

because or so?

Choose because or so. because = reason (why?) · so = result (what happens next?)

1I am tired ___ I go to bed early.
so — going to bed early is the result.
2I love this park ___ it is very beautiful.
because — it is beautiful = the reason.
3It is raining ___ I stay inside.
so — staying inside is the result.
4She is late ___ the bus is slow.
because — the slow bus is the reason.
5The café is full ___ we go to a different one.
so — going to a different café is the result.
Exercise 2

Finish the sentence

Complete each sentence. Write your own idea. Your answer is correct if the grammar is right.

1I like this city because …
Model. I like this city because it is beautiful and friendly.
2It is sunny today, so …
Model. It is sunny today, so I want to go to the park.
3I am happy because …
Model. I am happy because I have good friends.
4The park is beautiful, so …
Model. The park is beautiful, so I go there every day.
C

Assignment A

Minimum 80 words

Write a short travel blog post about a day trip or a place you know. Answer: Where? When? Who was there? What happened? Use because for at least one reason and so for at least one result. Write in a friendly, personal style.

Minimum 80 words.

0 / 80 words

Nothing is saved automatically. Copy or save your text before you close this tab — only your own writing is saved, not the exercises.

Sample answer · 103 words

Last October, my cousin and I took a bus trip to a small lake town two hours from home. I suggested it because I saw a photo of the autumn leaves online, and I wanted to see them in real life. We arrived in the morning, so we had the whole day to explore. The town was very quiet because it was a weekday. We rented bikes and cycled around the lake. The trees were gold and orange everywhere. We stopped at a small café for lunch because we were very tired from cycling. It was a simple day but a perfect one.

D

Assignment B

Minimum 80 words

Write a short paragraph about a journey that did not go well (for example: you missed a bus, the weather was bad, you got lost). Use because to explain what went wrong and so to describe what you did about it.

Minimum 80 words.

0 / 80 words

Nothing is saved automatically. Copy or save your text before you close this tab — only your own writing is saved, not the exercises.

Sample answer · 81 words

I travelled to another city to visit a friend, but the trip did not go well. I missed my bus because I arrived at the station too late. I waited two hours for the next one, so I had time to eat and call my friend. When I arrived, it was raining, so we stayed inside and watched films all evening. It was not the plan, but we had a great time because we laughed a lot and cooked dinner together.

✓

Answer key at a glance

Prints with the page
Step 1 — Wordsbecause, so, so
Step 2 — Answers1 b · 2 b · 3 b
Exercise 1 — Answers1 so · 2 because · 3 so · 4 because · 5 so
Exercise 2 — 1 (model)I like this city because it is beautiful and friendly.
Exercise 2 — 2 (model)It is sunny today, so I want to go to the park.
Exercise 2 — 3 (model)I am happy because I have good friends.
Exercise 2 — 4 (model)The park is beautiful, so I go there every day.