I have a question about the usages of the verb "lead". According to web usages, one sense of the verb "lead" is similar to the verb "cause". So that the following two sentences:
- The recession caused some investors to back off on buying stocks.
- The recession led some investors to back off on buying stocks.
, mean the same thing.
Does that mean the following:
- Erosion caused the building to collapse.
- Erosion led the building to collapse.
are also the same? I do feel that sentence 4, which uses "led", is a little bit off compared to sentence 3, which uses "cause". What do native speakers think?
Best Answer
There is a subtle difference between "caused" and that version of "lead/led". The first is a direct result:
The second may not be as direct - it is on the path to the final outcome, but not the only cause:
In the second version, he may not have had an accident even though the tyres were bad. But put all the circumstances together, and it led to the accident.