expressions - The phrase "the reason has to be because XXX"

Husband asked, "Do you think it's true that men use 15,000 words a
day and women use double?"

The wife replied, "I think so, The reason has to be because we
have to repeat everything to men."

Is "the reason has to be because" a common usage in colloquial conversations?

Another question!

Does "A have to be B" mean the strong guess(A must be B or I'm sure A is B)?

I learned "the reason is because S+V" is grammatically wrong (although many people use it) as far as I remember my SAT writing class materials correctly.

grammatical number - Apostrophes and caps in Happy Mother’s Day / Happy Mothers’ Day

So, I’m writing this as it is Mother’s (or maybe Mothers’) Day today, and I was wondering what would be a correct way to write that.

Should the apostrophe come be between the r and the s, or after the s?

And are the following capitalization correct?

Happy Mother’s (or Mothers’) Day!

and

I wish you a Happy Mother’s (again, maybe Mothers’) Day!

and also

I sure spent a nice Mother’s (maybe Mothers’) Day with my momma!

Word order in imperative sentence

What are the correct possibilities for word order in the following sentence?
Is there any general rule for imperative sentences? (Like SVOMPT?)

1. Please, check regularly the updated information about the meetings on the EBC website.


2. Please, regularly check the updated information about the meetings on the EBC website.


3. Please, check the updated information about the meetings on the EBC website regularly.

Something is telling me 1 isn't entirely correct, 2 maybe. I think 3 is correct, however I don't like the word regularly to be so far from the words check and information.

EDIT: attempt to summarize the answers:

• #1 sounds awkward to most people except for Barrie


• #2 seems to have least opponents


• the comma should be omitted


• new solution raised (from Hellion & Barrie England):

4) Please check regularly for updated information about the meetings on the EBC website.

Do you all think #4 is the best?

syntax - Ellipsis in noun phrases with possessive case

Can you omit the second occurrence of the word "poems" in a sentence like the following?

I like Lord Byron's poems, and also enjoy a number of Percy Shelley's [poems].

Answer

Yes, you can.

Also, extending @FumbleFingers' comment, you could even omit the first "poems":

I like Lord Byron's (and also enjoy a number of Percy Shelley's) poems.

punctuation - Using a comma before "and" in a list

I am confused as to when commas are supposed to be used before the conjunction and.

This question answers it but I am still a bit confused.

For instance the following two sentences:

• I am going to buy apples, oranges, and bananas at the store.


• I am going to buy apples, oranges and bananas at the store.

Which of the above sentences is the correct usage of a comma?

Answer

Such use of a comma is often called a "serial comma" or an "Oxford comma".

It is typically a matter of style, at least where there is no ambiguity. For example, with or without the comma, your example statement

I am going to buy apples, oranges[,] and bananas at the store.

is not ambiguous. Omission/inclusion of the comma is optional. (According to Wikipedia, use of the Oxford comma is more popular in American English than British English.)

In certain situations the serial comma can resolve some ambiguity. In these cases it should be used:

I am going to buy soup, broccoli[,] and asparagus.

pronouns - Is naming the first person last proper grammar or just proper manners?

I cringe when someone does not follow the rule of naming the first person last:

Who went to the party?
- Me, Bobby, Sally, and Joe.

This is surprisingly common in informal spoken American English. I admit have a strong cultural bias against this practice. My native language is Spanish and listeners in informal situations often reply with el burro por delante (the donkey in front) to correct the speaker.

Another post (Which of these sentences use the correct grammar?) partially covers this topic but the answers do not conclude whether it is proper grammar or just proper manners.

Answer

It's a matter of style, or manners, if you will. Grammatically, all of the following are equally fine:

• Jack and I went to the store.


• I and Jack went to the store.


• I and that stupid moron went to the store.

sentence - Meaning of earlier in "1 year ago, maybe earlier"

Someone told me this a while ago, but I always remember it cause I couldn't quite understand.

Does the "earlier" in the sentence "1 year ago, maybe earlier." means that it was prior to 1 year ago (meaning it could be even 10 years) or does it mean it's less than 1 year (like 5 months ago)?

Thanks.