Printable View
Hello everybody!
I am glad to have a new group of the forum members to talk to and exchange opinions with.
This is my question.
Does "His mother was prepared for him to die" mean the same as "His mother was prepared that he would die?"
The source: A sentence said by a woman on BBC World Service's programme about Syria.
Welcome to Using English.
Thank you for giving your thread a good title, and for using proper English in asking your question.
"His mother was prepared that he would die" - this is not a natural statement.
His mother was prepared (knew it might happen and was ready for it) for his death.
Thank you for a quick reply.
Does it mean that "His mother was prepared for him to die" is wrong and should be replaced by "His mother was prepared (knew it might happen and was ready for it) for his death"?
A reply to post 3 would be very appreciated.
No, Barb's answer is an explanation of the meaning. "His mother was prepared for him to die" is not wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by JACEK1
Would a native speaker of English say "His mother was prepared for him to die" in everyday situations?
No. Like Barb, I'd probably say, "His mother was prepared (knew it might happen and was ready for it) for his death". I might say "His mother was prepared for him to die" if I knew that his mother was sending him off to fight for his cause - not an everyday situation for most mothers that I know.Quote:
Originally Posted by JACEK1
Hmm, I can't really accept that a native speaker would say that sentence.Quote:
Originally Posted by 5jj
"His mother was prepared for his death." - fine
"His mother was prepared (knew it might happen and was ready for it) for his death." - It would be extremely unlikely for someone to say this in AusE. Its use would be confined to a written explanation of the meaning of the original questionable sentence, rather than as a more natural statement of that sentence. I could have sworn Barb was using it as an explanation rather than as a better alternative.
Not that I ever expect to find myself in that situation, I imagine I would say:
His mother was prepared for his death.
His mother was prepared for the possibility that he might die.
The first seems more relevant for someone who, perhaps, has a terminal illness and whose mother has come to terms with the fact that he is certainly going to die before one would have expected.
The second would be appropriate for a mother whose son was heading off to war.
In one real-life situation, I was half-prepared for my son ... to be dead when I arrived / ... to have died before I arrived.
Fortunately, he survived.