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Thread: My brother- and mother-in-law are very friendly.

  1. #1
    Tan Elaine is offline Key Member
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    Default My brother- and mother-in-law are very friendly.

    My brother-in-law and my mother-in-law are very friendly.

    Cam I rephrase the sentence as follows?

    My brother- and mother-in-law are very friendly.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
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    bhaisahab is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: My brother- and mother-in-law are very friendly.

    Quote Originally Posted by Tan Elaine View Post
    My brother-in-law and my mother-in-law are very friendly.

    Cam I rephrase the sentence as follows?

    My brother- and mother-in-law are very friendly.

    Thanks.
    I wouldn't, the meaning is less clear.
    Tan Elaine likes this.

  3. #3
    Rover_KE is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: My brother- and mother-in-law are very friendly.

    I understood your written thread title perfectly, Tan Elaine, but in speech you can't hear the first hyphen.

    I'd write it out in full as bhai recommends.

    Rover
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  4. #4
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    Default Re: My brother- and mother-in-law are very friendly.

    In case you care, in writing, it's called the suspended hyphen.

    But hey, you could always say "My husband's brother and mom are very friendly."
    Rover_KE and Tan Elaine like this.
    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

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