I.
noun
1 cause/motive/justification; explanation of sth
ADJECTIVE
▪ cogent , good , sound , strong
▪ compelling , convincing
▪ plausible
▪ adequate , sufficient
▪ bona fide , legitimate , valid
▪ wrong
▪
He married her for all the wrong ~s.
▪ opposite
▪
Tom's problem was that he lacked confidence; Ed failed for precisely the opposite ~.
▪ important
▪ special
▪ big , chief , key , main , major , primary , principal
▪
There's one big ~ why this won't work: cost.
▪ only , simple , sole
▪
The only ~ I didn't become a professional golfer was because of my family commitments.
▪
I was never good at school for the simple ~ that I never studied.
▪ several , various
▪
I can think of several ~s why this might happen.
▪ common
▪
Isolation and loneliness are common ~s for depression.
▪ real , underlying
▪
She did not tell him the real ~ for her change of heart.
▪
The underlying ~s for these differences will be explored in depth in the next chapter.
▪ possible
▪ cited , ostensible , stated
▪
The company's stated ~ for firing him was misconduct.
▪ exact , very
▪
You're asking me to help, and that's the exact ~ I came.
▪ apparent , particular
▪
He was attacked for no apparent ~.
▪ no earthly , no possible
▪
Surely there is no earthly ~ why you wouldn't want to come with us?
▪ clear , obvious
▪
The ~s for her decision soon became clear.
▪ unclear
▪ logical , rational
▪ understandable
▪ justifiable
▪ unspecified
▪ unconnected
▪
dismissal for ~s unconnected with misconduct
▪ personal
▪ sentimental
▪ selfish
▪ professional
▪ commercial , economic , financial , legal , political , social , technical
▪ practical , pragmatic
▪ security
▪ health
▪ altruistic , humanitarian
VERB + REASON
▪ be aware of , see
▪
He saw many ~s to be hopeful.
▪ have
▪
I don't know why he did that, but I'm sure he had his ~s.
▪
I have no ~ to believe that she was lying to me.
▪ cite , give (sb/sth) , outline , provide , set out , state
▪
Give me one good ~ why I should help you.
▪
In the letter she carefully set out her ~s for leaving.
▪ list
▪
This article lists the most common ~s why people pay too much tax.
▪ offer , suggest
▪ articulate , explain
▪ cite sth as , give sth as , offer sth as
▪ discuss , explore
▪ understand
▪ guess
▪ discover , find , find out , uncover
▪ pinpoint
▪
It's difficult to pinpoint the ~s for her success.
PREPOSITION
▪ by ~ of ( formal )
▪
persons in need of care by ~ of ( = because of ) old age
▪
He was found not guilty by ~ of insanity. ( law )
▪ for a/the ~
▪
procedures carried out for ~s of national security
▪ for ~ of ( formal )
▪
For ~s of security, you are requested to keep your baggage with you at all times.
▪ with ~ , without ~
▪
They complained about the food, and with good ~ (= rightly) .
▪ ~ against
▪
There are obvious ~s against such a move.
▪ ~ behind
▪
We are trying to uncover the ~s behind her decision.
▪ ~ for
▪
They didn't give any ~ for the delay.
PHRASES
▪ all the more ~
▪
If he's unwell, that's all the more ~ to go and see him.
▪ all sorts of ~s
▪
People buy things for all sorts of ~s.
▪ every ~ , little ~ , some ~
▪
I know you're angry with me, and you have every ~ ( = very good reasons ) to be.
▪
You have little ~ to be pleased with yourself.
▪ no ~ , not any ~
▪
He got angry for no ~.
▪
You don't have any ~ to complain.
▪ for ~s best known to yourself
▪
For ~s best known to herself she has turned down the offer.
▪ for some inexplicable ~ , for some odd ~ , for some strange ~ , for some unfathomable ~
▪
For some odd ~, he found it really funny.
▪ for unexplained ~s , for unknown ~s
▪
For unknown ~s, the ship sank in the middle of the ocean.
▪ for whatever ~
▪
people who, for whatever ~, are unable to support themselves
▪ a number of ~s , a variety of ~s
▪ rhyme or ~
▪
There's no rhyme or ~ (= logic) to the new opening hours.
▪ not see any ~ , see no ~
▪
We see no ~ why this band shouldn't be a huge success.
▪
I don't see any ~ why you can't come with us.
▪ there is ample ~ , there are ample ~s
▪
There is ample ~ to be optimistic about the economy.
2 power to think logically; what is possible/right
ADJECTIVE
▪ human
VERB + REASON
▪ lose
▪
He seems to have lost all sense and ~.
▪ be open to , listen to , see
▪
I tried to persuade her, but she just wouldn't listen to ~.
▪ defy
▪
Sometimes he does things that defy ~.
PREPOSITION
▪ beyond ~
▪
He was beyond all ~.
▪ within ~
▪
I'll lend you the money you need—within ~, of course!
PHRASES
▪ an appeal to ~
▪
The residents hope that an appeal to ~ (= asking the rioters to be reasonable) will end the rioting.
▪ faculty of ~ , sense of ~
▪
We possess the human faculty of ~.
▪ it stands to ~
▪
It stands to ~ (= it is logical) that she wouldn't want them to find out about her personal problems.
▪ the voice of ~
▪
She was always the voice of ~, persuading him not to buy things they couldn't afford.
II.
verb
Reason is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ court