Reason For or Reason Of: Which One Is Correct?
Generally speaking, we say reason for something instead of reason of something:
✅ What is the reason for the increase in inflation?
❌ What is the reason of the increase in inflation?
✅ The reasons for the president's resignation soon became clear.
❌ The reasons of the president's resignation soon became clear.
✅ Even the best doctor cannot help you if he or she does not know the reason for your illness.
❌ Even the best doctor cannot help you if he or she does not know the reason of your illness.
✅ A shortage of jobs with good wages is the main reason for poverty in this country.
❌ A shortage of jobs with good wages is the main reason of poverty in this country.
✅ In order to comply with money transfer laws, you must provide the reason for sending money overseas.
❌ In order to comply with money transfer laws, you must provide the reason of sending money overseas.
We normally only use the preposition of after reason in the formal expressions for reasons of and by reason of:
✅ For reasons of safety, the fire door should be kept shut.
✅ There are surveillance cameras at the school entrance for reasons of security.
✅ The defendant was found not guilty by reason of insanity. (= because of his insanity)
✅ The candidate was disqualified by reason of age. (= because of his age)
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Examples from the Media
Astonishingly, a doctor has given one of the two signatures required for Landry to end his own life, despite knowing that financial hardship—not illness—is a leading reason for the profound decision. —Daily Mail (2022)
For Christians, Jesus is the reason for the season. —Otago Daily Times (2018)
Whatever their reason for making contact—to complain, bestow praise or just ask a question—those on the line seemed to him to have one thing in common: a feeling of intimate connection with the ABC. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2021)
The second reason for building skyscrapers is that they make sense, economically and urbanistically. —The New York Times (2001)
A study by Harvard Business Review found 50 per cent of employees have left roles for reasons of mental health, up from 34 per cent in 2019. —Toronto Star (2021)
The 41-year-old admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility after psychiatrists concluded he had a delusional disorder. —The Guardian (2020)
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