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 #2 (permalink) Wed May 17, 2006 15:15 pm Cause/reason |
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Hi,
You asked:
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Could you tell me the main difference between the words 'reason' and 'cause'?
Why 'cause' doesn't fit here? |
The reason for something happening is why something happens.
The cause for something happening is the factor that results in something happening
For example:
The reason why the house was destroyed by the storm was because the foundations were very poor.
The cause for the house being destroyed was as a result of the severity of the storm
In the test the sentence:
| Quote: |
| My main reason for becoming a temporary postman during the Christmas holiday period. |
this is an explanation for becoming a postman and answers the question: Why did you become a postman?
Alan
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You can read my ESL story A day in the life of a driving instructor |
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Alan
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Location: UK
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| #3 (permalink) Mon Jun 01, 2009 7:52 am Reason is deliberate. |
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To explicate:
"Reason" is the use of reason, that is, by the human mind. In common conversation its meaning can overlap with "cause" but, if you're unsure which to use, keep in mind what reason really is.
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The reason why the house was destroyed by the storm was because the foundations were very poor.
The cause for the house being destroyed was as a result of the severity of the storm. |
I would probably use "cause" in both of these. (You can already see "cause" in the word "because" in the first sentence.) I would probably write, "The house was destroyed by the storm because the foundations were very poor."
Reason might explain why the builder poured such poor foundations, perhaps because he was cheap or had run over his budget. |
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Jeff Muscato
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Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 2
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| #4 (permalink) Mon Jun 01, 2009 18:06 pm Difference between the words 'reason' and 'cause' |
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Hello Alan
Could you explain me the difference between "each" and "every"
Thanks |
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 Iraberezhany
I'm new here and I like it ;-)
Joined: 26 Sep 2008
Posts: 17
Location: Ukraine
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| #5 (permalink) Tue Jun 02, 2009 16:00 pm Difference between the words 'reason' and 'cause' |
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Here are some phrases you cannot use "every" and must use "each."
For instance, you can say "Each of you must do your English homework for tomorrow's class." But you can't say "Every of you must do your homework..." Instead you would say, "Everyone must do his or her homework for tomorrow's class."
Saying "Each" has more of a connotation of "individuals items in a group," such as "Each individual in a group..."
Saying "Every" has more of a connotation of referring to a collective as a whole. "Everything, everyone, every time, etc."
Thanks to " G "
Kitos.
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Kitosdad
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| #6 (permalink) Tue Jun 02, 2009 20:33 pm Difference between the words 'reason' and 'cause' |
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| Kitosdad wrote: |
Here are some phrases you cannot use "every" and must use "each."
For instance, you can say "Each of you must do your English homework for tomorrow's class." But you can't say "Every of you must do your homework..." Instead you would say, "Everyone must do his or her homework for tomorrow's class."
Saying "Each" has more of a connotation of "individuals items in a group," such as "Each individual in a group..."
Saying "Every" has more of a connotation of referring to a collective as a whole. "Everything, everyone, every time, etc."
Thanks to " G "
Kitos. |
Keep in mind that despite the common use in conversation of "everyone" as a plural noun, it's not. When writing, write "Everyone must bring his own pencil," not "Everyone must bring their own pencils" (as if it meant "All"). This has been exacerbated by the use of the singular "they" (which is an attempt to avoid labeling mixed-gender groups and women as masculine).
Where I would say, "Everyone must bring his own pencil," some feminists would insist on "Everyone must bring their own pencil." Notice that in this debated use, the writer uses "their" as if were singular, like "his." |
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Jeff Muscato
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Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 2
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| Question tags | English idiom: ton of |
