Are speakers of English language making a mistake?

Question

I am an Indidan. I learned English as a foreign language. I was taught that it is wrong to use “reason” and “because” in the same sentence.

But I hear / see many native speakers of English language, esp. Americans say or write: “The reason we divorced is because he cheated”

In my opinion it should be “The reason why we divorced is he cheated” (“because” is removed and “why” added) or “We divorced because he cheated”

I would like to hear the opinion of native speakers of English Language

Answer 1

No, you're right. It drives me crazy when people talk like that.

Answer 2

I would say native English speakers are constantly making grammatical mistakes, especially when speaking. American English especially is pretty lax. The rule of thumb is, if you can be understood you're doing pretty well (I mean, read some of these questions and you'll see some people can't even do that!).

Having said that, as a native speaker, I have never heard of the reason/because rule in my life. This is not to say it isn't a rule, it's just saying it isn't a rule taught in the US generally, and it's probably pretty arcane.

Some people argue that without all the little arcane rules English is falling apart, but I think the lack of rules is making English better, more flexible, more able to absorb the influences of other languages in a globalized world. Except when people you "u" for "you". That's just ruining the language, if not the world.

Just a thought.

Answer 3

You are right, I suppose - although no-one ever told ME that rule either!!!

I would say that it would be better (in your example) to say “The reason we divorced is that he cheated” or to add a comma, which makes it more logical to use both words; “The reason we divorced, is because he cheated”

It may not be correct English ... it's colloquial English! Just because people TALK in a certain way, doesn't make it RIGHT! And just because a particular sentence is right, doesn't mean that people say it that way!!

The only logical reason NOT to use 'because' and 'reason' in the same sentence is that it's not necessary.

It's different with negatives, because if you use two negatives in a sentence the second one usually negates the first one, leaving you not sure what has been said! For example, "I don't know nothing" is used instead of "I know nothing" or "I don't know anything" - but "I don't know nothing" actually means the opposite of it's intended meaning - because it means that "I know something"!

Answer 4

The reason we use 'reason' and 'because' in the same sentence is because we often speak redundantly (redundant meaning...repeating ourselves unneccesarily). I think we use 'reason' to explain the need for something and 'because' to explain how we satisfy the 'need'. OK--now I'm confused about why we speak the way we do! lol I guess reason and because really do mean the same thing (in your example). The statement should be...He cheated. We are getting a divorce.

Plain and simple. The english language allows many, many ways around the "plain & simple".

Wouldn't it be great if everyone had to speak in only "plain & simple" terms? We could all understand each other much better.

Answer 5

There's a difference between what is proper in writing and what is proper in speech. Very few people speak as precisely as they write (even assuming they write precisely). You are correct that the proper formulation is either, "The reason we divorced is" or "We divorced because", and if "The reason we divorced is because" appeared in writing, you would be correct to challenge it. You are probably one of the few who would flag it based solely upon hearing someone say it aloud. I might not even catch it, and I do tend to speak as precisely as I write.

I think that you may be more sensitive because you are not a native speaker and thus had to study English more closely than do many people who grow up speaking the language.

Answer 6

I think any are acceptable, and I wouldn't think twice about any of these sentences if I heard someone say something like that. Much of the English language is pretty flexible as far as most Americans are concerned, but the grammar books may say differently. If you wish to speak English with perfect grammar, you might research this further. However, you will see that many people make far worse English grammar mistakes than the one you mention above.

Answer 7

You were taught correctly. But this is no longer a hard and
fast rule. Nowadays many of the more sophisticated rules
such as the one you mentioned have gone by the way side
for the general public. By the way, if you want to learn the
English language very very well, learn Greek at the same
time. It makes English very very clear.
I Corinthians 13;8a, Love never fails.

Answer 8

Yes, it is incorrect to say "because" and "reason" in the same sentence, although that is not a commonly stressed rule of the English language. Due to the lack of emphasis placed on this rule many English speakers often will break it.

Answer 9

Interesting and true point.

However, I personally think after traveling Europe and all over the US. So called "proper/formal" English , Spanish, or any other Language is only part of the story. Every language has dialects that effect the spoken tongue. Furthermore, while it can be frustrating at times it is also what makes linguistics interesting.

Answer 10

you are correct, you do not have to use "because" in the same sentence with reason. It is redundant. However there are very few people that speak or use English properly. Myself included.
Just remember you probably have more formal training in English that most native speakers!

Answer 11

It seems that people who learn English as a foreign language are taught more rigorous rules of usage than we who learned to speak it as babies and toddlers.

I think that's true of learning any foreign language, though. My daughter spent last summer in Germany after studying German for five years and winning the trip as a result of her excellent ability to speak German.

She discovered that everyday conversational German was very different than the language she studied so diligently. Spoken language serves the purpose of communicating, not fitting the strict rules of usage we are taught in classes.

I admire you for learning a second language. Well done!