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Ftpkid Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

"of" and possessive stuff

Hello,

Is the sentence "He is the father of Helen" correct? I know that "He is Helen's father" is grammaticaly correct. But my English teacher(English is not my native language.) said that the first given example is not correct. But i think I've heard it in various TV series and/or movies. So is there a difference between American English and British English(in this case, of course)? Or is the first sentence absolutely incorrect?
  

Top answer

The first answer ("he is the father of Helen") might be used in some rare cases. For example, sometimes we will say something like "She was the mother of a young boy" to draw attention to the mother or to be more formal. 99% of cases in both America and England, use the second answer ("He is Helen's father").

— Markteacher

  • The first answer ("he is the father of Helen") might be used in some rare cases.
  • For example, sometimes we will say something like "She was the mother of a young boy" to draw attention to the mother or to be more formal.
  • 99% of cases in both America and England, use the second answer ("He is Helen's father").
  • Hope this helps.
  • - Mark
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2 Answers
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The first answer ("he is the father of Helen") might be used in some rare cases. For example, sometimes we will say something like "She was the mother of a young boy" to draw attention to the mother or to be more formal.

But in 99.99% of cases in both America and England, use the second answer ("He is Helen's father").

Hope this helps.

- Mark
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ftpkidIs the sentence "He is the father of Helen" correct?
It is correct. But don't confuse "correct" with "typical" or "usual" or "natural".

The usual way to say it is "He is Helen's father".

CJ
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