"why" can be compared to an old Latin form qui, an ablative form, meaning how. Today "why" is used as a question word to ask the reason or purpose of something. This use might be explained from a formula such as "How does it come that ...".

Understanding the Context

If you meet an old friend of yours, whom you never expected to meet in town, you can express your surprise by saying: Why, it's Jim! This why in the ... 9 1) Please tell me why is it like that. [grammatically incorrect unless the punctuation is changed.

Key Insights

Please tell me: Why is it like that? The question: "Why is [etc.]" is a question form in English: Why is the sky blue? Why is it that children require so much attention? Why is it [or some thing] like that? Why don't you give me that book?

Final Thoughts

Why don't you go to the store and get some more milk? Why don't you make me a sandwich? In these examples, the speaker is clearly not asking for the reason the listener is not doing the action in question.