Reason/Reason why

[FirstScript]

"The reason he asked me that..."

vs.

"The reason why he asked me that..."


I feel the the second statement is not correct, but when I google it, there seem to be several instances of its use.

Which is the correct statement?

 

[albertino]

"The reason he asked me that..."

vs.

"The reason why he asked me that..."


I feel the the second statement is not correct, but when I google it, there seem to be several instances of its use.

Which is the correct statement?

The reaon he asked me that = Why he asked me that.
So, why in the sentence "The reason why he asked me that..." is a reducndancy or duplication of meaning.

However, sometimes you may come across the use of "reason followed by why". This is correct when the sentence sounds awkward if "why" is not there. For example, "There is no reason I should remain home." For the sake of smoothness, it would sound better by writing "There is no reason why I should remain home, or There is no reason for my remaining home."
;-)(not a teacher)

 

[riverkid]

"The reason he asked me that..."

vs.

"The reason why he asked me that..."


I feel the the second statement is not correct, but when I google it, there seem to be several instances of its use.

Which is the correct statement?

There are a few more than 'several', FS?

Results 1 - 10 of about 1,200,000 English pages for "the reason why".

Redundancies do not make something wrong/incorrect. While they may not be a common part of the written part of language, speech is different than writing and redundancies are often used for effect.

Stop stop stop STOP doing that!

I've had it up to here with you and your ... .

 

[FirstScript]

Thanks Albertino!

@Riverkid - Thanks too! From your reply, I assume that redundancy is okay in speech. But what I need to know is if it's okay to use "the reason why" in formal written english. Can you help me with this query too... please please please?

 

[riverkid]

Thanks Albertino!

@Riverkid - Thanks too! From your reply, I assume that redundancy is okay in speech. But what I need to know is if it's okay to use "the reason why" in formal written english. Can you help me with this query too... please please please?

It's not what would be chosen by native speakers for formal written English. FS. It would be interesting to do a search of academic papers to see what its frequency might be.