direct reason

USAGE SUMMARY

'direct reason' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you are referring to a cause-effect relationship: The direct reason for the company's failure was its inability to adapt to the changing market.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

50 human-written examples

"I think the direct reason may be his involvement in the protests at the Southern Weekend".

The New York Times

Whether there is a more direct reason for Blatter stepping down, such as the spectre of the investigations focusing on him more personally, remains to be seen.

The Guardian - Sport

Mr. Putin, oblique as ever, gave no direct reason for the punishments, leaving other officials free to speculate about his motives.

The New York Times

Jonathan Portes, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, dismissed Maude's claim as "economic nonsense", saying "there's no direct reason why a strike will translate into job losses".

The Guardian

There is only one group with a direct reason to build homes with – for example – better energy performance, and that is the people who are going to pay the heating bills: us.

The Guardian

The Housing Act will only make this worse: domestic violence is a significant cause of homelessness in London – it is cited as the direct reason for presenting as homeless by one in every eight applicants to boroughs, while homelessness charity St Mungos said half of women approaching them had experienced domestic violence, and one third were homeless directly due to domestic abuse [pdf].

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

10 human-written examples

(Internal or direct reasons are those a person herself can assess).

SEP

Furthermore, the duration and degree of these two effects are the direct reasons for permeability change during different production stages.

Petroleum Science

The direct reasons for traffic congestion are the rapid increasing number of automobiles, and comparable insufficient of transportation facilities, however different cities and regions may have their particular characteristics.

Journal of Transportation Systems Engineering and Information Technology

Despite various attempts at ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations and maintaining a safe working environment, the construction personnel attitude on jobsites remains one of the direct reasons behind reducing accidents.

Safety Science

Our case study did not yield direct reasons for the Ethiopian government to swiftly stop pursuing its current ambitious national hydropower development plan, but we encourage it to adequately internalise an extensive range of factors – including environmental, geopolitical and social – that may induce it to take a different course.

Energy Strategy Reviews

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "direct reason" when you want to emphasize that a particular factor is the primary or most important cause.

Common error

Avoid using "direct reason" when referring to a contributing factor that isn't the main cause; reserve it for the primary driver of an outcome.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "direct reason" functions as a noun phrase, typically serving as a subject complement or object in a sentence. It identifies the main cause or motive behind an event or action, as confirmed by examples in Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "direct reason" is a common and grammatically correct way to identify the primary cause of an event or situation. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's widely used in various contexts, especially in news, media and scientific writing. When writing, remember to use it when you want to emphasize the most important factor. Alternatives include "primary reason", "main cause", and "chief factor". Be careful not to confuse a direct reason with an indirect or contributing cause.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Primary reason

Simply emphasizes that this is the most important reason.

Immediate cause

Focuses on the temporal aspect, suggesting the cause happened right before the effect.

Chief cause

Highlights the most important cause, similar to 'primary reason'.

Central reason

Highlights the reason as the central aspect.

Main impetus

Emphasizes the driving force or initial stimulation.

Principal factor

Highlights the most significant element contributing to a result.

Key factor

Stresses the importance of this reason as a key element.

Underlying motive

Suggests a hidden or less obvious reason.

Root cause

Indicates the fundamental, often less apparent, origin of a problem.

Core motive

Indicates that this is the central motivation behind something.

FAQs

How to use "direct reason" in a sentence?

Use "direct reason" to clearly indicate the primary cause of an event or situation. For example, "The "direct reason" for the project's delay was a lack of funding".

What can I say instead of "direct reason"?

You can use alternatives like "primary reason", "main cause", or "chief factor" depending on the specific context.

Is it always necessary to specify a "direct reason" when explaining an event?

While not always necessary, specifying a "direct reason" helps provide clarity and focuses the explanation on the most significant contributing factor, avoiding ambiguity.

What's the difference between "direct reason" and "indirect reason"?

"Direct reason" refers to the main and immediate cause, while "indirect reason" refers to a contributing factor that influences the situation but isn't the primary cause.