Give me more clarifications Plssss!!!

[ongetz]

Good afternoon!!!!!

I just want to be more certain if I can leave out the relative clause " why" in this sentence..

Religion is the only reason why people didn't take a bath..Is it possible to delete why???or can't we remove this because of the word reason???


Thanks!!!!

[nawoula]

i iam nawoula can you read my message plz i need a answer right now plz...

[Soup]

Leave it out. It's redundant.

Ex: ... the only reason people...

[ongetz]

Thanks for that information!!!!

But if it's redundant, why do a lot of writers and speakers are using that format??? Could you please give me another reason to make your answer valid??? I'm talking about the phrase "the reason why"

Thanks!!!

[newbie]

As far as I know, the sentence "Religion is the only reason why/for which people didn't take a bath.." is quite grammatically correct. However I'm not sure if the omittance of "why" here is acceptable in formal English... (I did find some results of it in BNC...)

Just my two cents
:) :)

[Soup]

Thanks for that information!!!!



But if it's redundant, why do a lot of writers and speakers are using that format??? Could you please give me another reason to make your answer valid??? I'm talking about the phrase "the reason why"

The structure is Noun + (relative adverb/pronoun) + Clause, and for reasons related to semantics, speakers tend to replace that with why:

Ex: ... reason that people didn't take a bath...

Ex: ... reason why people didn't take a bath...

Similarly, speakers will say the reason is because instead of the reason is that.

[Soup]

As far as I know, the sentence "Religion is the only reason why/for which people didn't take a bath.." is quite grammatically correct. However I'm not sure if the omittance of "why" here is acceptable in formal English... (I did find some results of it in BNC...)

Just my two cents
:) :)

We sometimes leave out the relative adverb in such clauses, and many writers prefer "that" to "why" in a clause referring to "reason":

• Do you know the reason (why) Isabel isn't in class today?
• I always look forward to the day (when) we begin our summer vacation.
• I know the reason that men like motorcycles.

Authority for this section: Understanding English Grammar by Martha Kolln. 4rth Edition. MacMillan Publishing Company: New York. 1994.

[newbie]

Thanks a lot for your idea, Soup.
So many writers prefer "that" to "why"? Does it mean "that" is more common than "why"?
And is it the same in British English and American English?

Many thanks
Newbie

[Soup]

The phrase the reason why is common in cleft sentences. Note that our example sentence in post #1 is not an example of a cleft structure.

Cleft sentences are particularly useful in writing where we cannot use intonation for purposes of focus or emphasis, but they are also frequently used in speech.

Read more here Learning English | BBC World Service

[newbie]

Many thanks for your help, Soup.
And just one more question:
GENERALLY, which is more commonly used: with or without "why"?