Tonight’s song is a long thank-you, to someone who believed in the singer when she was weak.
Learn from Songs · Unit 6: The perfect aspect · B1
Because You Loved Me
A song of gratitude: because, because of and so for causes and results, thank you for + -ing, grateful for / to, and linking the past (When I was little, you…) to the present (I am who I am because…), with Demetria, and the aunt who taught her to read.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
Who wrote it?
SOPHIA
Diane Warren again, the writer of Have You Ever. And she was thinking of her own father.
MARCOS
Celine Dion! The Titanic singer!
Before you listen: the song
Los Angeles and Montreal, 1996
Celine Dion is a Canadian singer from Quebec, famous for her enormous voice. “Because You Loved Me” was the theme song of the 1996 film Up Close & Personal, and it was number one in the USA for six weeks. It won a Grammy and was nominated for an Oscar.
The writer, Diane Warren, said she was thinking of her father, who had supported her dream of becoming a songwriter when nobody else did, driving her to music publishers when she was a teenager.
In the song, the singer thanks someone who supported her through every difficulty, who believed in her, and who helped her to grow. She is the person she is today thanks to that love.
Who believed in you?
Listen: the thank-you
PHILO
Listen once. What did the other person do for the singer? How does she feel now?
SOPHIA
Then listen for because and when. Answer Section A.
🕯️ Listen to the song: “Because You Loved Me” (Diane Warren, 1996), sung by Celine Dion.Watch the official video →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Because You Loved Me”, Celine Dion.Read the lyrics →
Because, because of, so
DEMETRIA
I love books because she taught me. I can’t read because of my eyes. My eyes are weak, so she reads to me.
SOPHIA
because + subject + verb (the reason). because of + noun (the reason). so + result. It was raining, so we stayed in. We stayed in because it was raining / because of the rain.
Thank you for, grateful for
MARCOS
Thank you for teaching me. I’m grateful for everything. I’m grateful to you.
SOPHIA
thank someone for + -ing / noun: Thanks for helping. Thanks for the present. grateful for something, grateful to someone. And thanks to + noun = because of (good result): Thanks to her, I can read.
When I was…: past to present
PHILO
When I was little, you read to me every night. Now I love books because of you.
SOPHIA
The past simple with when for the past (When I was a child, I lived in Rome). Then the present, or the present perfect, for the result now (Because of that, I’ve always loved…).
Sophia’s comparison: Ruth and Naomi, and a debt of gratitude
SOPHIA
Seneca, the Roman philosopher, wrote a whole book about gratitude. He said the person who receives a kindness with gratitude has already repaid the first part of it.
PHILO
And when Ruth chose to stay with Naomi, Boaz said: may the Lord repay what you have done. Kindness is remembered.
DEMETRIA
So the first step is just saying thank you.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| because + clause | the reason (with a verb) | because she taught me |
| because of / thanks to + noun | the reason (with a noun) | because of my eyes, thanks to her |
| so + result | the result | My eyes are weak, so she reads to me. |
| thank you for + -ing | thanking for an action | Thank you for teaching me. |
| grateful for / grateful to | something / someone | I’m grateful to you for everything. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What kind of song is it?
2. What did the other person do?
3. Who was Diane Warren thinking of?
4. Which film was it written for?
5. How long was it number one in the USA?
6. How does the song sound?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I love books she taught me to read.
8. She can’t read of her eyes.
9. It was raining, we stayed at home.
10. Thank you for me. (help)
11. I’m very grateful you.
12. When I a child, she read to me every night. (be)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “Thank you for help me.”
14. “We stayed home because of the rain.”
15. “I can’t come because my exam.”
16. “Thanks to her, I passed.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Thank-you chain. Each student thanks someone in their life: Thank you for…, because of you I…
Discuss. 1. Who has believed in you? 2. Why is it often hard to say thank you? 3. Is gratitude a debt?
Write (100–120 words). A thank-you letter. Write to someone who helped you. Use When I was…, because / because of / thanks to, and thank you for + -ing.
Now play the gamebook: Demetria and her Aunt Phoebe.Play the gamebook →