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Martinlee Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Cause

Hi there,

We have looked into the matter and found that you have strong cause for complaint.
Can we replace 'cause' with 'reason' in the sentence?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

martinlee Can we replace 'cause' with 'reason' in the sentence? I would not make that replacement. The idiom is "to have cause for" (no article).

— CalifJim

  • martinlee Can we replace 'cause' with 'reason' in the sentence?
  • I would not make that replacement.
  • The idiom is "to have cause for" (no article).
  • It's less common to use "reason" instead of "cause" in that idiom.
  • CJ
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3 Answers
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martinleeCan we replace 'cause' with 'reason' in the sentence?
I would not make that replacement. The idiom is "to have cause for" (no article). It's less common to use "reason" instead of "cause" in that idiom.

CJ
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Thanks a lot
Is it because 'cause' leads to effects: complaint, whereas 'reason' leads to results?
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martinlee Thanks a lotIs it because 'cause' leads to effects: complaint, whereas 'reason' leads to results?
No, it's just idiomatic usage.

Reasons might be used like this:
We have looked into the matter and found that you have good (valid) reasons for your complaints.
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