0

I have bumped into just A LOT of English native speakers saying: " the reason I need to buy a flight ticket right now is because I have to get back to the office tomorrow morning" ( a tourist at a travel agency)

"The reason I want to go to Peru is because you can eat one of the best CEVICHES ever" (ceviche is raw fish cut into small pieces and flavored with lemon ).

I have so frecuently heard "the reason I...is because I ..." that I have always assumed it is the right way to say. But to my great surprise , a beautiful Irish woman told me that saying" The reason I ... is because I... " is redundant.

According to her " the reason I bought this T-shirt is I need to play football tomorrow" Or " the reason I am here is I wanted to see you" are correct sentences.

As she is Irish, I guess it must be true. I'm wondering whether it's just about formal and informal ways of saying the same thing,or it's a real mistake.

Can someone make this clear to me?

Improve this question
3
  • 1
    Spot on. Both the reason is because and the reason why are saying the reason behind the reason is. So, A is the reason for B. The reason for B is A. Not A is the reason why B. Not the reason for B is because of A.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Jul 25, 2017 at 3:52
  • Not in total agreement with the lady in the story. We can remove "because" in those sentences but it's not redundant. The word "is" is only a linking verb. You can't "ising" something. It just connects a subject to it's verb. It's a special type of verb (a copula). We can remove "because" as it has become implied in spoken or written English (i.e., the reason for me stealing is I need money -- because is implied but "is" does not replace the purpose of "because"). They don't mean the same. The OP's story was saying they do. I don't agree. Cleaner, yes. They don't mean the same though.
    – Kace36
    Jul 25, 2017 at 7:22
  • 1
    I disagree. EITHER "The reason I'm hurrying is that I have a train to catch" OR "I'm hurrying because I have a train to catch".
    – Kate Bunting
    Jul 25, 2017 at 13:25

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
-1

It would be cleaner English to say "I need to buy a flight ticket right now because I have to get back to the office tomorrow morning" This is known as the art of precis and generally features in advanced English classes. The original is not wrong, just a bit messy.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.