More important, why refers to an adverbial clause or phrase of some sort in the relative clause — certainly not a noun phrase — and therefore it can’t possibly be the subject of the clause. This is important because relative pronouns that are the subject of their relative clause (like the man who/that came to dinner) cannot be deleted. But adverbial wh-words — like why, where, when, and sometimes how — can’t ever fall into that category. Use a before words that start with a consonant sound and an before words that start with a vowel sound.Other letters can also be pronounced either way. Just remember it is the sound that governs whether you use a or an, not the actual first letter of the word. Since fruitcake itself doesn’t emerge as an insult term for a homosexual until much later, it seems clear that the original emphasis in “nutty as a fruitcake” is on the nuts, not the fruit.
- In the rare cases where this is a problem, use the form that will be expected in your country or by the majority of your readers.
- Just remember it is the sound that governs whether you use a or an, not the actual first letter of the word.
- So in most cases, “which” requires a comma, but “that” cannot have a comma before it.
- The events you describe may very well be unlikely, depending on the context.
The reason why is an interesting one, and worth answering. Wikipedia has more on this. Pinning slang down to a certain origin is next to impossible. Fruitcake is not a description I would use for anybody as its meaning might not be clear. A person easily influenced. An instructor whose course is not exacting.
Is it ‘a usual’ or ‘an usual’? Why? duplicate
We’ve just gotten used to always seeing it at the start of a why is it called fiat money question, but it’s really there to draw attention.
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Latin and ancient Greek verbs had special modes, subjunctive and optative (known for these two languages as ‘moods’ along with the – to us – more common ‘indicative’ mood), to express things as not actual in some way. English does not have these. It has, instead a modal version of the auxiliary, would, or sometimes could.
One complication is when words are pronounced differently in British and American English. For example, the word for a certain kind of plant is pronounced “erb” in American English and “herb” in British English. So the proper form in America is an erb, and the proper form in Britain is a herb. In the rare cases where this is a problem, use the form that will be expected in your country or by the majority of your readers.
Answer
‘, which brings with it a sense of rebuke, as in “I thought I knew you better than that.” As far as I know, “That’s the reason I…” would still be grammatically correct, but I can’t find anything stating one way or the other. There are more, but you get the idea. Sometimes we use variants to freshen up our writing, or avoid variance to hammer home a repetitive point. If you are asking many similar questions of this type in a row, you may repeat the same construction (anaphora). But usually you’re not wielding a rhetorical jackhammer, so variation is the way to go to keep your prose from getting dull.
Is it ‘a usual’ or ‘an usual’? Why? duplicate
- This use might be explained from a formula such as “How does it come that …”.
- I have flunked the exam, that is why I am attending coaching classes.
- A tag which has been removed by a sophomore from a freshman’s shirt.
This is an example of the second conditional. The second conditional is used for unlikely events. The events you describe may very well be unlikely, depending on the context. It’s not a matter of redundancy; all pronouns are redundant, after all.It’s just that why is very limited in its distribution. This means why — or that — can be freely deleted after reason. I.e, deleting why in the sentences above also produces exactly the same pattern of grammaticality and ungrammaticality.
The answer may be connected to the expression “nutty as a fruitcake.” The two expressions that are idiomatic in this context are “why” or “for what reason”, with the former being the preferred option. I have flunked the exam, that is why I am attending coaching classes. I have flunked the exam, which is why I am attending coaching classes. Usual (pronounced /ˈjuː.ʒu.əl/ as in you) begins with a consonant sound and, as such, it should be preceded by a not an.
It would not surprise me if “fruitcake” in the sense of “crazy” originated in the longer form “nutty as a fruitcake,” where the tell-tale insignia of insanity were the nuts. In your example, however, “I have flunked the exam, that is why I am attending coaching classes” is a comma-splice. Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.
A good fellow; a trump. A girl whose acquaintance is easy to make, 8. A tag which has been removed by a sophomore from a freshman’s shirt. Fruitcake is an insulting word for someone who you think is strange or crazy (the Macmillan Dictionary). This answer is not in terms of the more conventional notion of ‘first’, ‘second’ etc conditionals.
I think there is no difference except that the first sounds more emphasized. But there is no difference in meaning. At this point “for why” isn’t even used in contexts where people are trying to sound archaic.
Do you need the “why” in “That’s the reason why”? duplicate
A relative clause provides additional information about the noun it describes, but it may be considered relevant or irrelevant to the overall point of the sentence. In other words, a restrictive relative clause, which often begins with that, is usually considered essential or restrictive. Relative clauses beginning with which may contain non-essential information and would be considered non-restrictive. That inauspicious occurrence puts “nutty as a fruitcake” very close to the earliest days of “nuts” as slang term for “crazy.” I haven’t found any examples of “So-and-so is a fruitcake” (meaning a crazy person) of comparable age.
