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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007what's wrong with this sentence?
My family is a happy one. jes...@gmail.com wrote: > My family is a happy one. Okay, but how 'bout: Mine is a happy family --mirage > My family is a happy one. There is nothing wrong with that sentence, but the assertion might be factually false. jes...@gmail.com wrote: > My family is a happy one. Basically nothing is wrong with this sentence. Here are some points: My at the beginning is singular One at the end is singular and Family is a plural concept. suggestion: We are a happy family. I come from a happy family. picky but I hope some other way of looking at what seems to be a problem for you. Paul ttc...@gmail.com wrote: >> My family is a happy one. > Basically nothing is wrong with this sentence. > Here are some points: My at the beginning is singular > One at the end is singular and Family is a plural concept. Only in British English. In American English, "family" is singular. nancy13g@verizon.net filted: >ttc...@gmail.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Only in British English. In American English, "family" is singular. Aha!...*there's* the flaw in the British approach to collective nouns.... Would "My family are a happy one" be correct?...r  Signature"Keep your eye on the Bishop. I want to know when he makes his move", said the Inspector, obliquely. > nancy13g@verizon.net filted: >> ttc...@gmail.com wrote: [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Would "My family are a happy one" be correct?...r By George, he's got it ... but not quite. Both "is" and "are" can be used in BrE for groups, with the choice expressing a subtle distinction. "My family is happy" means that the family, as a unit, is happy. "My family are happy" means that each member of the family is happy. Or, at the very least, the majority of the members are happy. I've left the "one" out of these examples because it complicates the issue. "One" is inherently singular, so it can be used only when talking about the family as a unit. "The government is screwing us" means the same as in AmE. "The government are screwing us" means roughly the same, but implies that individual Ministers within the government should take their share of the blame rather than hiding behind the abstract concept of an indivisible "government". SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. >> nancy13g@verizon.net filted: >>> ttc...@gmail.com wrote: [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >"My family are happy" means that each member of the family is happy. Or, >at the very least, the majority of the members are happy. "My family has red hair" and "my family have red hair" are identical, methinks. Contrariwise, "my family are left handed" works where "my family is left handed" is just plain sinister. [...] SignatureRichard Bollard Canberra Australia To email, I'm at AMT not spAMT. The Richard Bollard entity posted thusly: >>> nancy13g@verizon.net filted: >>>> ttc...@gmail.com wrote: [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >methinks. Contrariwise, "my family are left handed" works where "my >family is left handed" is just plain sinister. That's right. > My family is a happy one. Happy families are all alike. SignatureA. Karenina > > My family is a happy one. > > Happy families are all alike. Have you got Mrs Bun the Baker's wife? SignatureMike. -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com > My family is a happy one. Nothing grammatically or idiomatically. SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com > <jeshon@gmail.com> wrote >> My family is a happy one. > > Nothing grammatically or idiomatically. Well, now, I'd kinda like to say that it's just a little teensy weensy bit on the verbose and long-winded side, myself. It could be more easily and briefly be expressed or written or stated or spoken as "My family is happy". Might not fit the style of the speaker or the conversation it appears in, though. And it might not rhyme when it has to. SignatureFranke: EFL teacher & medical editor Native speaker of American English; posting from Taiwan. "If you are still not convinced of the a.s-brain connection, finish this sentence: 'It is easier to think after I … (a) get a haircut (b) take a dump'." Scott Adams, The Dilbert Blog, 12 Jan 2007; http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/ teranews now charges a one-time US$3.95 setup fee -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
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