Giving Reasons
2022-03-18
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Imagine you want to describe why you did something or why something happened.
2In other words, you want to talk about a reason.
3In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore a few common structures that English speakers use to talk about reasons.
4You will learn about conjunctions and expressions with the word "reason" in them.
5Let's start with the importance of conjunctions
6Conjunctions join together sentences, clauses, phrases or words.
7Common conjunctions include words such as and, but, because.
8Because is of special importance for today's report.
9It is commonly used to explain why something is. Its exact meaning is "for the reason that."
10Consider the following statement:
11"I listen to Everyday Grammar because I want to improve my understanding of English grammar."
12In our example, because joins different clauses.
13The first clause is "I listen to Everyday Grammar,"
14the second clause is "I want to improve my understanding of English grammar."
15Please note that because can be used in different places in a sentence - the beginning or the middle.
16How might one change our previous example to have because at the beginning of the sentence?
17You might say something like this:
18"Because I want to improve my understanding of English grammar, I listen to Everyday Grammar."
19English speakers sometimes use expressions with the noun "reason" to explain why something should be.
20One of these often appears in its negative form.
21It is "There is no reason why...."
22Let's listen to Carol Fishman Cohen use this structure in a Ted talk.
23In fact, an employer just told me that their veterans return to work program is based on their reentry internship program.
24And there's no reason why there can't be a retiree internship program.
25But English speakers do not only use the noun reason in negative statements.
26English speakers often use structures such as "The reason..." or "The only reason..."
27For example, when making a phone call, a businessperson might say, "The reason I called you is that I have a question about billing."
28English speakers often say "The only reason..." when there could be many possible explanations about why something is.
29Let's listen to Simon Sinek describe why people buy some kinds of technology.
30The only reason these people buy touch-tone phones is because you can't buy rotary phones anymore.
31Sinek's use of "only reason" adds a touch of humor to his talk.
32He could have also said, "The reason these people buy touch-tone phones..."
33but adding the word "only" gives the statement a bit more strength.
34In today's report, you learned about how to answer why questions.
35When you give a reason, you are explaining why something is or why something should be.
36The next time you listen to the news or watch television shows, pay careful attention to how speakers give reasons or explain why things are.
37Pay careful attention to how they use conjunctions such as "because" and how they use the noun "reason."
38With time, you will learn how to give clearer explanations in English.
39Let's end this report with a few lines from the famous song "Give me one reason," sung by Tracy Chapman.
40Give me one reason to stay here
41And I'll turn right back around
42I'm John Russell.
1Imagine you want to describe why you did something or why something happened. In other words, you want to talk about a reason. 2In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore a few common structures that English speakers use to talk about reasons. You will learn about conjunctions and expressions with the word "reason" in them. 3Let's start with the importance of conjunctions 4What are conjunctions? 5Conjunctions join together sentences, clauses, phrases or words. 6Common conjunctions include words such as and, but, because. Because is of special importance for today's report. It is commonly used to explain why something is. Its exact meaning is "for the reason that." 7Consider the following statement: 8"I listen to Everyday Grammar because I want to improve my understanding of English grammar." 9In our example, because joins different clauses. The first clause is "I listen to Everyday Grammar," the second clause is "I want to improve my understanding of English grammar." 10Please note that because can be used in different places in a sentence - the beginning or the middle. 11How might one change our previous example to have because at the beginning of the sentence? You might say something like this: 12"Because I want to improve my understanding of English grammar, I listen to Everyday Grammar." 13Using the noun "reason" 14English speakers sometimes use expressions with the noun "reason" to explain why something should be. One of these often appears in its negative form. It is "There is no reason why...." Let's listen to Carol Fishman Cohen use this structure in a Ted talk. 15In fact, an employer just told me that their veterans return to work program is based on their reentry internship program. 16And there's no reason why there can't be a retiree internship program. 17But English speakers do not only use the noun reason in negative statements. English speakers often use structures such as "The reason..." or "The only reason..." 18For example, when making a phone call, a businessperson might say, "The reason I called you is that I have a question about billing." 19English speakers often say "The only reason..." when there could be many possible explanations about why something is. Let's listen to Simon Sinek describe why people buy some kinds of technology. 20The only reason these people buy touch-tone phones is because you can't buy rotary phones anymore. 21Sinek's use of "only reason" adds a touch of humor to his talk. He could have also said, "The reason these people buy touch-tone phones..." but adding the word "only" gives the statement a bit more strength. 22Closing thoughts 23In today's report, you learned about how to answer why questions. When you give a reason, you are explaining why something is or why something should be. The next time you listen to the news or watch television shows, pay careful attention to how speakers give reasons or explain why things are. 24Pay careful attention to how they use conjunctions such as "because" and how they use the noun "reason." With time, you will learn how to give clearer explanations in English. Let's end this report with a few lines from the famous song "Give me one reason," sung by Tracy Chapman. 25Give me one reason to stay here 26And I'll turn right back around 27I'm John Russell. 28John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 29__________________________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31clause - n. grammar : a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb 32phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence 33internship - n. the position of person (often a trainee or a student) who works in an organization, sometimes without pay, 34touch-tone phone - n. a phone with buttons that make a sound when you touch them. 35rotary phone - n. a phone that has a disc with finger holes