/waɪ/
Translation
Asks for the reason or cause of something.
Word origin
From Old English hwi, an old question form related to what and how.
- Origin
- Old English
- Root
- hwi
Examples
?
"Why" asks for the reason you are late.
.
Here "why" stands for the reason she left.
?
"Why" asks for the cause behind it.
Used in
Stories
(4)Grammar articles
(32)Adjective order in English: opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose
Adverb position in English: before the verb, after be, and the just, still and already traps
Advanced articles in English: the zero article, the with names and places, and go to school vs go to the school
Articles in English: a, an, the and the zero article
British vs American grammar: have got, gotten, the team are, and the other quiet differences
Cleft sentences in English: it was X who, what I need is, and how to move the emphasis
Countable and uncountable nouns in English: advice, information, news and the ones you simply have to learn
Discourse markers in English: well, anyway, actually, mind you and by the way
Dummy subjects in English: it's raining, there's a problem, and why the subject slot is never empty
Future continuous and future perfect in English: will be doing vs will have done
Future in the past: was going to, would, was about to, and the grammar of plans that failed
Future tense in English: will, going to and more explained
Gradable and ungradable adjectives: why very furious sounds wrong, and which intensifier goes where
Hedging and vague language in English: sort of, a bit, -ish, stuff and or so
Indirect questions in English: Could you tell me where the station is, and the word order that goes with it
Inversion and word order in English: the subject-verb-object spine and when it flips
Irregular verbs in English: the full list by pattern
Linking words in English: however, although, despite, whereas and therefore
Mixed conditionals in English: past causes with present results, and present causes with past results
Nominalisation in English: arrive becomes arrival, decide becomes decision, and why written English turns actions into things
Participle clauses in English: -ing and -ed clauses, and the dangling participle trap
Past continuous tense: was and were plus -ing, and when to use it instead of the past simple
Phrasal verbs in English: rules, examples and how to use them
Prepositions in English: place, time and movement explained
Present continuous tense: form, spelling and uses
Present simple tense: rules, examples and when to use it
Quantifiers in English: some, any, much, many and more
Question tags in English: the mirror rule, aren't I, and tags after let's and imperatives
Reporting verbs in English: admit, deny, suggest, promise, and the pattern welded to each one
Time clauses in English: when, while, as soon as, until, before and after
Used to, would and be used to: talking about past habits and states in English
Wish and if only in English: wish + past, wish + past perfect, wish + would, and why I wish I would is wrong
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 2.