Difference Between Why and Because

Why vs Because

In causality, there is a relationship between one occurrence, which is also called the cause, and a second occurrence which is also called the effect. They might be changes in the properties, facts, processes, or characteristics of a subject. They might be material or physical that the cause is made of; formal, which tells what it is intended to be; efficient, which initiates the cause; or final, which is the purpose or the end of the cause. The causes of these occurrences all answer the question “Why?”

The word “why” is used as a noun, an adverb, a conjunction, or an interjection. As a noun it is used to refer to the cause or intention of a certain situation or action. It is the motive or purpose for which the action is done. It justifies an action or motive as well as the reasons for which it is made.

The word “why” comes from the Old English “hwy” which is used to show the purpose or means by which something is done. It in turn comes from the Proto-Germanic word “khwi” derived from the Proto-Indo-European “qwei” which means “who.” Its first usage as an interjection to convey surprise or to call attention to something was in the early 1500s.

While the word “why” is used to ask a question, the word “because” is used to answer it. It is used to explain how and why a certain action is done. It is a conjunction as well as a preposition. As a conjunction, it is used to connect two words, two sentences, or two phrases together. As a preposition, it is used to link nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other parts of the sentence. These nouns, pronouns, and phrases are the objects of the preposition. Prepositions signify the material, spatial, and analytical relationship of the object to the sentence.

Examples are the following sentences:
“I slept early last night not because I did not want to go with them but because I was very tired.”
“I was confused when she suddenly became angry because she was in high spirits when we met earlier.”
The word “because” comes from the French word “par cause” which in the 1300s took the spelling “bi cause” and later became the phrase “by cause.” It developed into its recent one-word form “because” in the 1400s.

Summary:

1.The word “why” is used as a noun, an adverb, a conjunction, or an interjection while the word “because” is used as a conjunction and as a preposition.
2.“Why” is used to determine the cause of an action while “because” is used to answer it.
3.The word “why” justifies a motive or action while the word “because” explains how and why it is done.
4.The word “why” comes from the Old English word “hwy” from the Proto-Indo-European word “qwei” which means “who” while the word “because” comes from the French phrase “par cause” which is translated into “by cause” in English .

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