Wisdom English Learn about the world. Grow your English.
โ† Back to Grammar
Part 1 ยท Episode 49 A2-B1

Because He Believed, So He Sailed

๐Ÿ“ because/so/and/but/or

Christopher Columbus & Queen Isabella ยท 1492: Columbus seeks funding ๐Ÿ“– 5 min read

Episode 49: Because He Believed, So He Sailed

Conjunctions: because/so/and/but/or โ€” Columbus & Isabella, 1492 (A2-B1)

Grammar Box

Meaning: Conjunctions connect ideas and show relationships. And adds. But shows contrast. Or gives choice. Because gives reason (comes before the reason). So shows result (comes before the result).

Form: idea + and/but/or + idea | reason, so result | result because reason

Example 1: He was poor but determined. (contrast)

Example 2: He believed, so he sailed. OR He sailed because he believed. (result & reason)

Common mistake: Wrong: He sailed, because he believed. Better: He sailed because he believed. (no comma before because)

The Question

Luna wrote two sentences: “I studied. I passed.” Then she tried: “I studied, so I passed.” And: “I passed because I studied.” She paused. “Professor, how do I connect ideas? And, but, so, because, or?” The watch glowed. “Let’s meet a man who connected a dream to reality.”

The Journey

Granada, Spain, April 1492. Royal palace. Luna and Professor Wisdom stand in a grand hall. A man kneels before a queen. Worn clothes. Tired eyes. Desperate hope.

This is Christopher Columbus. Italian sailor. Big dreamer. He has asked kings and queens across Europe for help. Everyone said no. But he keeps trying. This is his last chance.

Queen Isabella sits on her throne. Beautiful. Powerful. Intelligent. She listens.

Columbus speaks: “Your Majesty, I need ships and money. I want to sail west because I believe I can reach Asia. Others sail east around Africa, but that route is long and dangerous. I can go west, or I can give up. But I won’t give up.”

Isabella asks: “Why should I help you? Spain needs money for war, and your idea sounds crazy.”

Columbus stands firm: “Because the world is round, I can sail west to reach the East. Other nations are growing rich through trade, so Spain should too. Help me, or Portugal and England will do it first.”

The queen’s advisors whisper. They say Columbus is wrong. The journey is too far. The ocean is too dangerous. He will die, and Spain will lose money.

But Columbus continues: “I need three ships and 90 men. The journey is risky, but the reward is huge. We can find gold and spices, so Spain will become rich. We can spread Christianity, and we can claim new lands.”

Isabella thinks. Spain just won a long war. They need money. But they also need opportunity. She must choose: take a risk, or miss a chance.

She makes her decision: “I believe in you because you believe in yourself. Spain is poor now, but this voyage might change that. We will give you ships and men. You will sail west, and you will find a route to Asia.”

Columbus smiles. He waited years for this moment. He faced rejection after rejection. But he never stopped believing. Because he persisted, he got his chance. So he sailed, and he changed history.

Three months later, he reached land. It wasn’t Asia, but it was new. He found the Americas. Before this voyage, two worlds existed separately. After this voyage, they connected forever. Because one man believed, so the world changed.

Luna watches them shake hands. Columbus taught her something important. Connect your dreams to action. Believe because you have reason. Act so you create results.

The Insight

Professor Wisdom explained: “Luna, conjunctions connect ideas. ‘And’ adds: ‘ships and men.’ ‘But’ shows contrast: ‘poor but hopeful.’ ‘Or’ gives choices: ‘succeed or fail.’ ‘Because’ gives reason: ‘because he believed.’ ‘So’ shows result: ‘he believed, so he sailed.'”

“Notice: ‘because’ comes before the reason. ‘So’ comes before the result. ‘He sailed because he believed’ or ‘He believed, so he sailed.’ Same meaning, different order.”

“These small words create powerful connections. They show how ideas relate to each other.”

Practice Zone

More Examples:

  1. “Columbus was poor but determined.” โ€” contrast
  2. “He needed ships and money.” โ€” addition
  3. “He could quit or continue.” โ€” choice
  4. “He sailed because he believed.” โ€” reason
  5. “He believed, so he sailed.” โ€” result
  6. “The journey was dangerous, but necessary.” โ€” contrast

Exercises:

  1. Fill in the blank: “Columbus asked Spain ___ Portugal. Isabella was poor ___ generous. He sailed west ___ he believed in his idea.”

  2. Choose the correct:
    a) He succeeded because he worked hard.
    b) He succeeded, so he worked hard.

  3. Match the conjunctions:
    – Addition: ships ___ men โ†’ and
    – Contrast: poor ___ hopeful โ†’ but
    – Choice: sail ___ quit โ†’ or
    – Reason: ___ he believed โ†’ because
    – Result: he believed, ___ he sailed โ†’ so

  4. Complete: “Spain needed money, ___ Isabella took a risk. She helped Columbus ___ she believed in him. He could fail ___ succeed.”

  5. Your turn: Write about a decision you made using all five conjunctions.

Answer Key:

  1. and / but / because
  2. a) He succeeded because he worked hard (reason before result)
  3. and, but, or, because, so
  4. but / because / or
  5. Check: Did you use and (addition), but (contrast), or (choice), because (reason), so (result)?

The Lesson

Luna understood. Conjunctions aren’t just grammar. They’re thinking tools. They show how ideas connect. Because you dream, you plan. You plan, so you act. You might fail, or you might succeed. But you try, and you learn. Columbus knew this. Connect your thoughts clearly. Your words will be powerful.