If my grandparent is deceased, do I refer to them as “is” or “was” my grandparent?

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How does this work when the person being referenced is deceased? Which of these is correct?
- John was my grandfather.
- John is my grandfather.
possessives reference
add a comment |
How does this work when the person being referenced is deceased? Which of these is correct?
- John was my grandfather.
- John is my grandfather.
possessives reference
We don't do that "was" business, not if we miss them. We turn it around. Question: Did you know John? Answer: Yes, I'm his granddaughter. It may be a Southern thing; I'm not sure.
– KannE
48 mins ago
add a comment |
How does this work when the person being referenced is deceased? Which of these is correct?
- John was my grandfather.
- John is my grandfather.
possessives reference
How does this work when the person being referenced is deceased? Which of these is correct?
- John was my grandfather.
- John is my grandfather.
possessives reference
possessives reference
asked 3 hours ago


DavbogDavbog
1083
1083
We don't do that "was" business, not if we miss them. We turn it around. Question: Did you know John? Answer: Yes, I'm his granddaughter. It may be a Southern thing; I'm not sure.
– KannE
48 mins ago
add a comment |
We don't do that "was" business, not if we miss them. We turn it around. Question: Did you know John? Answer: Yes, I'm his granddaughter. It may be a Southern thing; I'm not sure.
– KannE
48 mins ago
We don't do that "was" business, not if we miss them. We turn it around. Question: Did you know John? Answer: Yes, I'm his granddaughter. It may be a Southern thing; I'm not sure.
– KannE
48 mins ago
We don't do that "was" business, not if we miss them. We turn it around. Question: Did you know John? Answer: Yes, I'm his granddaughter. It may be a Southern thing; I'm not sure.
– KannE
48 mins ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
You would say "John was my grandfather". This is because when he died, he essentially stopped being your grandfather, so to speak. It is like if being a grandparent of parent is an occupation, like being a carpenter. You would say
"John was a carpenter."
Likewise, you would say
"John was my grandfather."
New contributor
Rahiz Khan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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You would use the word was because that means before, is means that they are currently your grandparents but because of their nonexistence it's not possible for them to be anything. They were once your grandparent.
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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You would say "John was my grandfather". This is because when he died, he essentially stopped being your grandfather, so to speak. It is like if being a grandparent of parent is an occupation, like being a carpenter. You would say
"John was a carpenter."
Likewise, you would say
"John was my grandfather."
New contributor
Rahiz Khan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
You would say "John was my grandfather". This is because when he died, he essentially stopped being your grandfather, so to speak. It is like if being a grandparent of parent is an occupation, like being a carpenter. You would say
"John was a carpenter."
Likewise, you would say
"John was my grandfather."
New contributor
Rahiz Khan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
You would say "John was my grandfather". This is because when he died, he essentially stopped being your grandfather, so to speak. It is like if being a grandparent of parent is an occupation, like being a carpenter. You would say
"John was a carpenter."
Likewise, you would say
"John was my grandfather."
New contributor
Rahiz Khan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
You would say "John was my grandfather". This is because when he died, he essentially stopped being your grandfather, so to speak. It is like if being a grandparent of parent is an occupation, like being a carpenter. You would say
"John was a carpenter."
Likewise, you would say
"John was my grandfather."
New contributor
Rahiz Khan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Rahiz Khan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 3 hours ago
Rahiz KhanRahiz Khan
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311
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You would use the word was because that means before, is means that they are currently your grandparents but because of their nonexistence it's not possible for them to be anything. They were once your grandparent.
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Dane Jacobs is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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You would use the word was because that means before, is means that they are currently your grandparents but because of their nonexistence it's not possible for them to be anything. They were once your grandparent.
New contributor
Dane Jacobs is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
You would use the word was because that means before, is means that they are currently your grandparents but because of their nonexistence it's not possible for them to be anything. They were once your grandparent.
New contributor
Dane Jacobs is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
You would use the word was because that means before, is means that they are currently your grandparents but because of their nonexistence it's not possible for them to be anything. They were once your grandparent.
New contributor
Dane Jacobs is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Dane Jacobs is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 hours ago
Dane JacobsDane Jacobs
1
1
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hFjJpQzVK8LMNby2pnt9ZcRSYKJC,QkHjnZsiQvywVnY69wruBI
We don't do that "was" business, not if we miss them. We turn it around. Question: Did you know John? Answer: Yes, I'm his granddaughter. It may be a Southern thing; I'm not sure.
– KannE
48 mins ago