0
Igu Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

"happen to be something"

Hi. I need a little help about a sentence. Could you explain what doest it mean?

"And so do our partners — or our parents, if we happen to be teenagers."

It's from nytimes.com : http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/garden/21mess.html?ex=1324357200&en=ce87bee90be66dff&ei=5088&partner=...
  

Top answer

"Our desks and dining room tables are awash with paper; our closets are bursting with clothes and sports equipment and old files; our laundry areas boil; our basements and garages seethe . " The important word here is "seethe"=• verb 1 (of a liquid) boil or be turbulent as if boiling. 2 be filled with intense but unexpressed anger .

— Feebs11

  • "Our desks and dining room tables are awash with paper; our closets are bursting with clothes and sports equipment and old files; our laundry areas boil; our basements and garages seethe .
  • " The important word here is "seethe"=• verb 1 (of a liquid) boil or be turbulent as if boiling.
  • 2 be filled with intense but unexpressed anger .
  • 3 be crowded with people or things.
  • In the following sentence, what is being said is "Our partners seethe too - or, if we are teenagers, our parents seethe.
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.

3 Answers
0
"Our desks and dining room tables are awash with paper; our closets are bursting with clothes and sports equipment and old files; our laundry areas boil; our basements and garages seethe. And so do our partners — or our parents, if we happen to be teenagers."

The important word here is "seethe"=• verb 1 (of a liquid) boil or be turbule
0
0
It is about mess that people makes. Too much person(parents,partners..) crowded around someone? Have I understood correctly?

Thanks for reply.
0
0
It is relating the mess that people have around them to the effect of the mess on their lives. If you are untidy and the people/person you live or work with are tidy, then they will become angry with you.
0

Related Questions