phenomenon???
When we travel to foreign countries, we tend to see the same things as we see in our home countries.
Question 1: Do you call this a “phenomenon”?

Globalization is one of the causes of the spread (of products).
Question 2: Can we say,
1) “Globalization is cause of this phenomenon.”
2) “Globalization causes/gives rise to this phenomenon.”
3) “Globalization is the reason for this phenomenon.”
4) “This phenomenon is the result of globalization.”
5) “A factor (globalization) gives rise to this phenomenon.”
6) “What account for this phenomenon are globalization and …”
7) “This phenomenon appears partly because of globalization.”

Nowadays, people always throw old things away and buy new things, whereas in the past, old things were repaired and used again.
Question 3: Do you call this a “phenomenon”?
Question 4: Can we say, “What factors cause this phenomenon?”
Question 5: Can we say, “What effects does the phenomenon lead to?”

Question

phenomenon???
When we travel to foreign countries, we tend to see the same things as we see in our home countries.
Question 1: Do you call this a “phenomenon”?

Globalization is one of the causes of the spread (of products).
Question 2: Can we say,
1) “Globalization is cause of this phenomenon.”
2) “Globalization causes/gives rise to this phenomenon.”
3) “Globalization is the reason for this phenomenon.”
4) “This phenomenon is the result of globalization.”
5) “A factor (globalization) gives rise to this phenomenon.”
6) “What account for this phenomenon are globalization and …”
7) “This phenomenon appears partly because of globalization.”

Nowadays, people always throw old things away and buy new things, whereas in the past, old things were repaired and used again.
Question 3: Do you call this a “phenomenon”?
Question 4: Can we say, “What factors cause this phenomenon?”
Question 5: Can we say, “What effects does the phenomenon lead to?”

Answer

Question 1 is difficult. It depends on what "things" we are seeing. If I see grassy plains, rivers, and gently rolling hills at home and I go to another country that has grassy plains, rivers, and gently rolling hills, those are not "phenomena." If I notice at home that more young people have tattoos, more people are drinking bottled water, and that there seems to be free wi-fi everywhere, those are "phenomena" and I might see the "same phenomena" when I travel.

#1: Globalization is _the_ cause of this phenomenon.

#6: You get yourself in trouble by beginning with the word "what." You can't begin a sentence by saying "what account for." I can't explain why. Perhaps the problem is that "what" feels singular when it is the first word of a sentence and there aren't any words before it to prepare you to feel it as plural. I don't know any good solution to the problem except to rewrite the sentence. Here are some possibilities:

"The two main things that account for this phenomenon are globalization and X."
"The chief causes of this phenomenon are globalization and X."
In somewhat informal writing--an article in a magazine where you are writing as if having a conversation with the reader--you could write:
"What accounts for this phenomenon? There are two causes: globalization and X."

The answers to 3, 4, and 5 are "yes," but there's a clash in tone. "Nowadays, people always throw old things away" is correct, grammatical, and literate--but informal, like _Time_ magazine, or like someone chatting with you. "What factors cause this phenomenon?" is formal, like _Harvard Business Review,_ or like a professor lecturing at the front of a hall.

Answers · 2

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