Her mother rejected her request

Question

Lisa asked her mother to let her keep a pet, but her mother rejected her.

... but her mother rejected her request.

... but her mother turned her down.

... but her mother turned her request down.

Hi,

Are all of the above right? Thanks.

Philip · Accepted Answer

I don't think the 2nd sounds natural in this case.  The other two are fine.

Dimsumexpress · Answer

My opinions:

You have to be clear on the semantics. To keep a pet -suggests she already has one. If she is asking her mom permission to have one, there are couple of ways you can say this, take you pick:

Lisa asked her mother for permission to have a pet but she was denied.

Lisa asked her mother if she could have a pet but hermother declined.

Lisa made a request for permssion to have a pet but her mother turned it down.

Lisa asked her mother to allow her to have a pet, but her mother declined the idea.

Regards · Answer

Hi,

Your sentences are too formal and not likely to be said in a casual conversation.

Also, they are too long and unnatural, and I'm afraid the original poster might get confused.

Why do you think they are better? Why don't you answer to the point?

You completely changed the meaning of the sentences which have been supplied by the original poster.

Look at your last example. Do you really think a daughter would ask her mother such a question?

Regards

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Sorry Regards,

I completely disagree.

RegardsYour sentences are too formal and not likely to be said in a casual conversation.

" Lisa asked her mother if she could have a pet ....". Why would this be unnatural or not likely used for conversational English.

RegardsWhy do you think they are better? Why don't you answer to the point?

So what is your point? I didn't answer the question? I am rather disappointed with your comments for the facts that your approach seemed to focus on answering the "questions" regardless whether the questions were logically and correctly constructed.

RegardsLook at your last example. Do you really think a daughter would ask her mother such a question?

This I agree. It's not something a teenager or a kid would say to her mother. But what I did was to use the same verbs from the OP to reconstruct different options. Are they wrong?

RegardsYou completely changed the meaning of the sentences which have been supplied by the original poster.

If the question appeared to be problematic, should it be changed or reworded.
I don't think my examples are unnatural at all. If we want to show how a verb is used, we need full context, which is what most questions are lacking. Too long and formal? They are not any longer than the OP. I laid out all the natural possibilities and said "take your pick". Are they wrong?

Besides, my point was, keep - didn't seem to be the correct verb for the question. You seemed to have failed to address the obvious issue in my opinion.

Many learners are unaware that their word choices are often incorrect for the meaning intended. The meaning shifts as corrections are made. Is this a problem? How you see my examples being more confusing to the poster? I disagree with the apporach that we should just answer the question with just a " yes" or "no, it's incorrect" to satisfy the poster when we see the question incorrectly constructed.

Hrsanei · Answer

Hi Guys.

I don't want to stoke the argument by taking sides.

But dimsumexpress is right about his suggestions. His comment was useful to the original poster.

Let put an end to this issue and go back to the question, I think we can also say

Lisa asked her mother to let her keep a pet, but her mother let her down by her rejection.

Cheers

Dimsumexpress · Answer

hrsaneiI don't want to stoke the argument by taking sides.
But dimsumexpress is right about his suggestions. His comment was useful to the original poster.

Hi hrsanei,

I appreciate your agreeing with me.

hrsaneiLisa asked her mother to let her keep a pet, but her mother let her down by her rejection.
This is what I tried to point out; " Keep ", suggested she already has a pet without her mother's knowing. But it wasn't clear whether she asking for permission to have one or permission to keep the pet she already has. If the context is unclear, the question becomes irrelevent. That was my whole point. By the way " let her down by her rejection" is totally unnatural to my half-native ears.

Her mother rejected her request

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions