Transitions 5 <景気> 原因の説明

Spend as long or as short a time as necessary on each phrase, but make sure the student can use it smoothly before moving on.

Note: For struggling students, elicit the adjectives/sentences from the student before adding the transition phrase. For higher levels, you may be able to skip right to the question. 

Note: [noun] refers to a simple noun (on account of the budget...) or a noun phrase (e.g. on account of the rising inequality in developed countries...). Lower levels can use a simple noun, but higher levels should be encouraged to use the more complex noun phrase.

Note: Tell students that for the first four phrases, the sentence parts can be reversed (e.g., Companies in certain countries are forced to reduce their investment in new infrastructure owing to the shrinking economy, etc.).

1. Owing to
E.g.: Owing to the shrinking economy in certain countries, companies are forced to reduce their investment in new infrastructure.
Practice: Add "owing to" to the following sentence: "A lot of manufacturing has moved overseas because of the low wages paid in other countries."/Can you think of another reason manufacturing has moved overseas?
Question: How do you think the economic situation in your country will develop in the next 5 years?

2. On account of 
E.g.: The U.S. Federal Reserve Bank occasionally increases its lending rate on account of a rise in inflation.
Practice: Add "on account of " to the following sentence: "We had to cancel our trip because of the high fuel prices."/Can you think of another reason to cancel a trip?
Question: Which country would be a best fit trading partner for your country?

3. In light of—new situation.  
E.g.: Some financial organizations are considering leaving the U.K. in light of the Brexit decision.
Practice: Add "in light of" to the following sentence: "We didn't hire him because of the terrible social media posts."
Question: Which area of the economy would you choose to invest in right now?

4. Thanks to—positive.
E.g.: Thanks to increased stability in the Chinese economy, the threat of deflation is reduced.
Practice: Add "thanks to" to the following sentence: "Farmers are getting paid well now because of the new laws that were passed."
Question: Can you think of one of your government's economic policies that you support?

**Note about stems and roots. You can use this picture of plants to explain them. "Roots are the root cause; stems are the more recent, clearly visible cause."**

5. [Noun] has its roots in—note, this is about a root cause.
E.g.: The low minimum wage is a big problem in America. The problem has its roots in the government's lack of action over many, many years. 
Practice: Add "has its roots in" to the following sentence: "The global financial crisis in 2008 was caused by many years of deregulation."
Question: What's the main economic issue facing your country? What's the root cause of that issue?

6. [Noun] stems from—note, this is about a more recent cause.
E.g.: The low minimum wage is a big problem in America. The problem stems from popular right-wing ideas that only businesses should decide worker's pay—not the government.
Practice: Add "stems from" to the following sentence: "Americans have a low rate of saving money. That problem is caused by the low wages."
Question: Many jobs have a poor work-life balance. What does that problem stem from?

NOTE

If students get through these phrases lightning fast, you could offer a few more:

• In view of (the fact that)...
• Due to (the fact that)...
• Seeing that...