Time, reason and purpose clauses

## Level and focus

**Level:** A2  
**Category:** Clauses

Connect simple clauses with when, before, after, because, so and to + infinitive.

By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to: **Choose basic clause linkers for time, reason, result and purpose.**

## Core idea

This lesson adds a recommended grammar point that improves the coverage of the curriculum without changing the overall CEFR progression. Learners should first recognise the pattern, then practise controlled examples, and only later combine it with adjacent grammar.

## Form

- `when/before/after + clause`

• because + reason

• so + result

• to + infinitive for purpose

  Meaning and use

  Use this grammar when the speaker needs the meaning described in the lesson goal. The examples should stay close to the level and should not rely on advanced vocabulary or several new grammar points at once.

  Examples

  • Call me when you arrive.

• Wash your hands before you cook.

• I stayed at home because I was ill.

• She went to the shop to buy bread.

  Common mistakes

  • Using because and so together: not Because I was tired, so I went home; use I was tired, so I went home.

• Using for + infinitive of purpose: not I went out for buy milk; use I went out to buy milk.

• Wrong clause order with before/after: not Before finish work, I called her; use Before I finished work, I called her.

  Teaching sequence

  1. Start with a clear contrast between two forms or meanings.
  2. Give short controlled examples with familiar vocabulary.
  3. Include one item that targets a common mistake.
  4. Add mixed review items that distinguish this point from a neighbouring lesson.
  5. End with simple sentence-level production or recognition.

  Boundary: what not to cover here

  Do not turn this into a B2 linker lesson. Keep formal linkers, concession clauses and participle reductions for later levels.

  Suggested practice

  For the current exercise system, use 25 multiple-choice exercises. Include clear distractors that test the target grammar, not obscure vocabulary. Later, this lesson can be expanded with gap-fill, error-correction or transformation tasks.

Quick check

Before you move on, can you explain the rule in one sentence and make one example of your own?