Many times bad weather is the culprit of car accidents

[I'm a Chubby Baby]

Hello, teachers. Because I used 'many times', I used the plural 'car accidents' instead of the singular 'a car accident'. But bad weather is singular, so culprit should be singular. Is this correct? I wrote the sentence, by the way. Thanks!

Many times, bad weather is the main culprit of car accidents.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hello. [STRIKE]teachers.[/STRIKE] Non-teachers also give answers here.

Because I used 'many times', I used the plural 'car accidents' instead of the singular 'a car accident'. [STRIKE]But[/STRIKE] However, 'bad weather' is singular, so culprit should be singular. Is this correct? I wrote the sentence, by the way.

[STRIKE]Thanks![/STRIKE] Thank us after we help you, by clicking on the "Thank" button.

[STRIKE]Many times[/STRIKE] Often/Frequently, bad weather is the main [STRIKE]culprit[/STRIKE] cause of car accidents.

Note my corrections and comments above.

The fact that "bad weather" is singular (it's uncountable) is irrelevant to whether you use "a car accident" or "car accidents". It only affects the word "cause" (which is the word you needed instead of "culprit").

 

[I'm a Chubby Baby]

which is the word you needed instead of "culprit".

Thanks, emsr2d2. Could you explain why I can't use 'culprit' here?

 

[emsr2d2]

What do you find when you look up "culprit" in good dictionaries? Also note that even when "culprit" is the right word, it's not followed by "of".

 

[I'm a Chubby Baby]

What do you find when you look up "culprit" in good dictionaries? Also note that even when "culprit" is the right word, it's not followed by "of".

Thanks, emsr2d2. Lexico says 'culprit' means the cause of a problem or defect. So, why can't I use 'culprit behind'?

 

[jutfrank]

As emsr2d2 has suggested, you mean to use cause, not culprit. It's the ideal word for what you mean to say.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hello, teachers. Because I used 'many times', I used the plural 'car accidents' instead of the singular 'a car accident'. But bad weather is singular, so culprit should be singular. Is this correct? I wrote the sentence, by the way. Thanks!

Bad weather is often the main culprit in car accidents.

I like "culprit." In American English, it can be used figuratively to mean "guilty party." Car accidents are to blame.

Chubby, we do not use "many times" that way. Use "often" or "frequently."

 

[jutfrank]

I like "culprit." In American English, it can be used figuratively to mean "guilty party." Car accidents are to blame.

It's no different in any other variety, of course. The issue here is register. What I'm confident I'm a Chubby Baby has neglected to mention is that this is meant to be academic writing (probably an IELTS writing Task 1), where precise control of vocabulary and prosaic academic collocation are desirable. I'm speaking from an examiner's point of view.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd have been happier with "culprit" if it had been the last word of a differently-ordered sentence.

In a lot of car accidents, bad weather is the [main] culprit.

However, I stand by my change to "cause of".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's no different in any other variety, of course. The issue here is register. What I'm confident I'm a Chubby Baby has neglected to mention is that this is meant to be academic writing (probably an IELTS writing Task 1), where precise control of vocabulary and prosaic academic collocation are desirable. I'm speaking from an examiner's point of view.

Good to know. I'd be a goner!

 

[probus]

Me too, Charlie. Prosaic academic collocation is way too hard for me. I don't even know what it means. :-D