2020-12-20
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด R – Reason & reason why/because
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง Reason = ‘REE-zuhn’
Dictionary.com
SYNONYM STUDY FOR REASON
Reason, cause, motive
are terms for a circumstance (or circumstances)
which brings about or explains certain results.
A reason is an explanation of a situation or circumstance
which made certain results seem possibleor appropriate:
The reason for the robbery was the victim's display of his money.
The cause is the way in which the circumstances produce the effect,
that is, make a specific action seem necessaryor desirable:
The cause was the robber's extreme need of money.
A motive is the hope, desire, or other force
which starts the action (or an action)
in an attempt to produce specific results:
The motive was to get money to buy food for his family.
Dictionary.com
USAGE NOTE FOR REASON
The construction reason is because
is criticized in a number of usage guides:
The reason for the long delays was because the costs greatly exceeded the original estimates.
One objection to this construction is based on its redundancy:
the word because (literally, by cause )
contains within it the meaning of reason;
thus saying the reason is because is
like saying “The cause is by cause,”
which would never be said.
A second objection is based on the claim
that because can introduce only adverbialclauses
and that reason is requires completion by a noun clause.
Critics would substitute that for because in the offending construction:
The reason for the long delays in completing the project was that the costs.
… Although the objections described here are frequently raised,
reason is because is still common in almost all levels of speech
and occurs often in edited writing as well.
A similar charge of redundancy is made against the reason why,
which is also a well-established idiom:
The reason why the bill failed to pass was the defection of three key senators.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Choose the Right Synonym for reason
Verb
THINK, COGITATE, REFLECT, REASON, SPECULATE, DELIBERATE
mean to use one's powers of conception, judgment, or inference.
THINK is general and may apply to any mental activity,
but used alone often suggests attainment of clear ideas or conclusions.
teaches students how to think
COGITATE implies deep or intent thinking.
cogitated on the mysteries of nature
REFLECT suggests unhurried consideration of something recalled to the mind.
reflecting on fifty years of married life
REASON stresses consecutive logical thinking.
able to reason brilliantly in debate
SPECULATE implies reasoning about things theoretical or problematic.
speculated on the fate of the lost explorers
DELIBERATE suggests slow or careful reasoning before forming an opinion or reaching a conclusion or decision.
the jury deliberated for five hours
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary,
rea′son•er, n.
usage:
The construction reason is because
is criticized in a number of usage guides:
The reason for the long delays was because the costs far exceeded the original estimates.
One objection is based on redundancy:
the word because (literally, by cause) contains within it
the meaning “reason.”
A second objection is based on the claim that
because can introduce only adverbial clauses
and that reason is requires completion by a noun clause.
Critics would substitute that for because in the offending construction:
The reason for the long delays was that the costs.
… Nevertheless, reason is because is
still common in almost all levels of speech
and occurs often in edited writing as well.
A similar charge of redundancy is made against the reason why,
which is also a well-established idiom:
The reason why the bill failed to pass was the defection of three key senators.
Both phrases are easy to avoid if desired.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
'The Reason Is Because': Redundant But Acceptable
If 'because' can mean 'that,' why not say "the reason is because"?
We're guessing that at some point in your grammar-school days,
you were told that using the phrase "the reason is because" was redundant.
And, by a certain look at the definition, it is.
But we're here to say that you shouldn't be scolded for
or feel any qualms about using the phrase.
Proponents of the argument against it
claim that since because means "for the reason that,"
it follows that to say,
for example, "The reason I ordered vanilla isbecause I like it"
is equivalent to saying "The reason I ordered vanilla is for the reason that I like it."
This appears to be plainly repetitious and rather nonsensical.
However, the majority of people are acutely sensitive
to the apparent redundancy
and would not construct a sentence like the latter.
The fact is because does not always mean "for the reason that."
It can also be understood to mean "the fact that" or simply "that."
With either of these meanings substituted in the phrase,
the phrase "the reason is because" makes sense and is not necessarily redundant.
Clearly, the many writers who have used and who continue to use this phrase do not feel it to be redundant
—and we agree, especially since it appears in the letters
and formal prose of many literary writers, among them,
Francis Bacon, Jonathan Swift, John Adams, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway, and E. B. White.
The Reason was, because the Religion of the Heathen, consisted rather in Rites and Ceremonies, than in any constant belief. — Francis Bacon, Essays, 1625
The reason I tell you so is, because it was done by your parson….— Jonathan Swift, Journal to Stella, 14 May 1711
The reason is because it is of more importance ... that innocence should be protected than it is that guilt should be punished. — John Adams, final argument in defense of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre, 1770
If the fellow who wrote it seems to know more of my goings and comings than he could without complicity of mine, the reason is because he is a lovely old boy and quite took possession of me while I was in Boston.
— Robert Frost, letter, 22 Mar. 1915
The reason every one now tries to avoid it, to deny that it is important, to make it seem vain to try to do it, is because it is so difficult.— Ernest Hemingway, Green Hills of Africa, 1935
The reason the story has never been made into a film is because I won't sign a contract….— E. B. White, letter, 28 Oct. 1969
(You may have noticed that in the more modern examples,
reason is separated from the because clause
by intervening matter, sometimes quite long.
In the older examples
reason is more frequently found right next to because.
It seems the separation is done to improve readability;
because, in its position later in the sentence,
becomes a signal word to the reader telling himor her that
what follows is the "reason" mentioned previously.)
The second argument against "the reason is because"
tries to attack the grammatical soundness of the phrase,
claiming that "the reason is" requires a descriptive clause
beginning with that because of the linking verb be
—which, grammatically, connects a subject tothe description following.
Using our ongoing ice-cream example,
"The reason I ordered vanilla is that I like it,"
"that I like it" is the descriptive relative clause.
However, since because shares the same meaning as conjunctive that
"The reason I ordered vanilla is because I like it" is also acceptable,
if that's your preference.
Sentences of the form
"If you're tired, it's because you stayed up all night playing video games again"
are certainly recognizable as standardEnglish.
If because can refer to a pronounlike it
or to the also common this or that
("this/that is because"),
there is no logical reason it should not refer to a noun like reason.
Thus, the grammatical objection to "the reason is because"
doesn't hold up.
No treatment of "the reason is because" would be complete
without mention of the doubly redundant "the reason why is because"
(by the way, we have no problem with the construction
"reason why" without because
since, like because,
why can function as a conjunction meaning "for which,"
and so "reason why" translates as "the reason for which").
"The reason why is because" is more common in older sources,
and nowadays appears mainly in colloquial speech.
I don't know if I ever told you about it, but the reason why I left England was because I was sent over by my Aunt Agatha to try to stop young Gussie marrying a girl on the vaudeville stage…. — P. G. Wodehouse, "Leave It To Jeeves," 1916
"Within five minutes, I said, 'I could do this show. I could like doing this show.' And the reason why is because I get to play an extended version of myself, which is great. I get to do live sketches in front of a live audience." — Billy Crystal, quoted in The Gwinnett Daily Post, 1 Apr. 2015
In sum, "the reason is because"
has been attested in literary use for centuries.
If you aren't comfortable using the phrase,
or feel that it's awkward, don't use it.
But maybe lay off the criticism of others
—there's really no argument against it.
The phrase may grate on your nerves
(along with "the reason why is because"),
but it puts people who apply it
in some very distinguished literary company
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
rea′son·er n.
Synonyms: reason, intuition, understanding, judgment
These nouns refer to the intellectual faculty
by which humans seek or attain knowledgeor truth.
Reason is the power to think rationally and logically
and to draw inferences:
"Mere reason is insufficient to convince us of its
[the Christian religion's] veracity" (David Hume).
Intuition is perception or comprehension,
as of truths or facts,
without the use of the rational process:
I trust my intuitions when it comes to assessing someone's character.
Understanding is the faculty by which one understands,
often together with the resulting comprehension:
"The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding" (Louis D. Brandeis).
Judgment is the ability to assess situationsor circumstances
and draw sound conclusions:
"At twenty years of age, the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment" (Benjamin Franklin).
See Also Synonyms at cause, think.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
reason
The reason for something
is the fact or situation which
explains why it happens, exists, or is done.
I asked the reason for the decision.
The reason for this relationship is clear.
Be Careful!
Don't use any preposition
except for after reason in sentences like these.
You can talk about a person's reason for doing something.
One of his reasons for coming to England was to make money.
You can also talk about the reason why something happens or is done.
There are several reasons why we can't do that.
However, if you are actually stating the reason,
don't use 'why'.
Instead you use a that-clause.
The reason that they liked the restaurant was its relaxed atmosphere.
The reason I'm calling you is that I know Larry talked with you earlier.
Note that
the second clause in these sentences
is also a that-clause.
Instead of a that-clause,
some speakers use a clause beginning with because.
The reason they are not like other boys is because they have been brought up differently.
This use of because is fairly commonin spoken and informal English.
However, some people think that it is incorrect,
and you should avoid it in formal English.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
reason
WHICH WORD?
reason / explanation / excuse / pretext / grounds
A reason is the cause of something
or something that explains why a particular thing has happened:
His reason for resigning was that he was under stress.
She didn't give a reason for her decision.
Police cannot name the man for legal reasons.
If you describe something as an explanationrather than a reason,
you may simply be repeating what someone has said:
His explanation for resigning was that he was under stress
(= that is what he said and it may or may not be true).
An excuse may be true or inventedand is a reason
That you give to explain or defend your behavior.
If you call something an excuse you may not believe that it is true
or you may think that it is not a good enough reason:
What's your excuse for being late this time?
A pretext is a false reason that someone gives
for doing something in order to hide the real reason:
He got into the house on the pretext of checking the gas
(= but he really wanted to steal something).
The grounds for something
are the reasons for doing, sayingor believing it,
especially in a formal or legal situation:
I left my job on medical grounds.
She had good grounds for divorce.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
reason
GRAMMAR
!! Reasonis never followed by of or because.
You can talk about the reason for something,
the reason that something happens,
or the reason why something happens:
Can you explain the reasons for (NOTreasons of) your decision?
The main reason why/that (NOT reason because)
I'm writing is to invite you to stay.
You can also leave out why or that :
I like children, and that's the reason I became a teacher.
!! Reasonis not usually followed by against.
When you are giving reasons why something is bad,
use argument against:
An important argument against (NOT reason against)
capital punishment is the possibility of error.
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
Reason & reason why
Reason appears in numerous trite expressions
such as “It stands to reason,”
“theirs not to reason why,”
“within reason,”
“by reason of,” “bring someone to reason,” and
“any reasonable person.”
Note that one word, because, can replace five words:
“for the simple reason that.”
If one overuses reason by itself,
he can try understanding, intuition, judgment, or discernment.
In the sense of “cause” or “basis for action,”
occasionally substitute purpose, motive, end, object, or objective.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression
reason why
The word why is an adverb, conjunction, noun and interjection
and should not be used as a pronoun.
Instead of saying “The reason why he left is unknown,”
say “The reason that he left is unknown.”
When why is used as a conjunctive adverb
(that is, part conjunction and part adverb),
it probably appears in a remark
such as “I never realized why he was upset.”
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
Reason because
We often hear people say things like,
“the reason there’s a hole in the screen dooris because
I tripped over the cat on my way out.”
The phrase “is because” should be “is that.”
If you wanted to use “because,” the sentence should be phrased,
“There’s a hole in the screen door because I tripped over the cat.”
Using both is a redundancy,
as is the common expression “the reason why.”
“The reason being is” should be simply “the reason being.”
