0
Tamguatlay Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Are there errors in the sentences?

Last December, Mother and Karen went on a holiday to the Great Barrier Reef.

"Look at this particular wide-angle shot I snapped, Mom," Karen exclaimed and then continued, "now I know why the Great Barrier Reef is a must-see tourist attraction when in Australia."

The above sentences are taken from an exam paper. The passage is written by a local. I presume the writer is a school teacher.

1. Is it correct to use "Mother" when the writer is not referring to his or her own mother? I have always thought that it should be "Mother and I". Otherwise, the above sentence should be "Karen's mother and she..."

2. Should "now' be capitalised as the first part of what Karen said appears to me to be a complete sentence?

3. "...when in Australia": should there be a pronoun within the phrase? I think it should be "when we are in Australia".

Thanks.
  

Top answer

tamguatlay 1. Is it correct to use "Mother" when the writer is not referring to his or her own mother? How do you know that the 'Mother' referred to is not his/her mother?

— Fivejedjon

  • tamguatlay 1.
  • Is it correct to use "Mother" when the writer is not referring to his or her own mother?
  • How do you know that the 'Mother' referred to is not his/her mother?
  • tamguatlay 2.
  • Should "now' be capitalised I would capitalise the first letter.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

6 Answers
0
tamguatlay1. Is it correct to use "Mother" when the writer is not referring to his or her own mother?
How do you know that the 'Mother' referred to is not his/her mother?
tamguatlay2. Should "now' be capitalised
I would capitalise the first letter.
tamguatlay "...when in Australia": should there be a
0
0
tamguatlay1. Is it correct to use "Mother" when the writer is not referring to his or her own mother?
It is capitalized whenever it is used as a nickname. Usually, it is so used only by direct offspring.
tamguatlay2. Should "now' be capitalised as the first part of what Karen said appears to me to be a complete sentence?
Ye
0
0

fivejedjonHow do you know that the 'Mother' referred to is not his/her mother?
Last December, Mother and Karen went on a holiday to the Great Barrier Reef.

"Look at this particular wide-angle shot I snapped, Mom," Karen exclaimed and then continued, "now I know why the Great Barrier Reef is a must-see tourist attraction wh
0
0
tamguatlayWhat I mean is that in the first sentence, it should be "Karen and her mother" because the writer is not referring to his or her own mother.
We don't know that.
tamguatlayHence, my question is if the writer is writing about another person's mother, not his or her mother, can he or she write "Mother and Karen"?
S/he
0
0
fivejedjontamguatlayWhat I mean is that in the first sentence, it should be "Karen and her mother" because the writer is not referring to his or her own mother.
We don't know that.
Excuse me, for being confused. If the writer were writing about his or her mother, he or she would have written "Mother and I...", wouldn't he or she?
0
0
tamguatlayExcuse me, for being confused. If the writer were writing about his or her mother, he or she would have written "Mother and I...", wouldn't he or she? Thanks.
I understand "Mother and Karen went on a holiday to the Great Barrier Reef" to mean that Karen went with the writer's mother. I would never use that to mean that Karen went with her own mother
0

Related Questions