Forum newsfeeds 
|  | | Notices | You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post. Please note, all posts are moderated by our in-house language experts, so make sure your suggestions, help, and advice house the kind of information an international language teacher would offer. If not, and your posts do not contribute to the topic in a positive way, they will be subject to deletion. | 
28-Dec-2007, 16:17
|  | Key Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Country: Somewhere in Formosa
Posts: 2,183
Current Location: Homesweethome First Language: Taiwanese/Mandarin Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 22
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
| |  I am not related/relative to him in any way.
I just want to tell you that I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Do both related and relative fit in the above and mean about the same? Thanks. |
28-Dec-2007, 17:27
| | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Country: China
Posts: 385
Current Location: USA First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other Thanks: 32
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
| |  Re: I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by angliholic  I just want to tell you that I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Do both related and relative fit in the above and mean about the same? Thanks. | I think in this case "related" is better, for "related" is an adjective and an adjective is needed here, not a noun. "Relative" is often used as a noun, as we say "he is my relative". "Relative" can also be used as an adjective, as in "these facts are relative to the accident", in which case, relative is close to related. But still most people in this context will use "related" rather than "relative" for the meaning you want to express. |
28-Dec-2007, 23:51
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Country: Somewhere in Formosa
Posts: 2,183
Current Location: Homesweethome First Language: Taiwanese/Mandarin Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 22
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
| | Re: I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ian2 I think in this case "related" is better, for "related" is an adjective and an adjective is needed here, not a noun. "Relative" is often used as a noun, as we say "he is my relative". "Relative" can also be used as an adjective, as in "these facts are relative to the accident", in which case, relative is close to related. But still most people in this context will use "related" rather than "relative" for the meaning you want to express. | Thanks, ian2.
By the way, what do you think of the following sample? Would you use "related" or "relative?"
What he suggested wasn't related/relative to what we were discussing? |
28-Dec-2007, 23:54
| | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Country: China
Posts: 385
Current Location: USA First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other Thanks: 32
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
| | Re: I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by angliholic Thanks, ian2.
By the way, what do you think of the following sample? Would you use "related" or "relative?"
What he suggested wasn't related/relative to what we were discussing? | I would use "related". |
28-Dec-2007, 23:59
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Country: Somewhere in Formosa
Posts: 2,183
Current Location: Homesweethome First Language: Taiwanese/Mandarin Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 22
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
| | Re: I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ian2 I would use "related". | Thanks, ian2.
But the original uses "relative," and that's confusing to me. |
29-Dec-2007, 00:02
| | Member | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Country: Canada
Posts: 399
Current Location: Canada First Language: English Member Type: Other Thanks: 0
Thanked 19 Times in 19 Posts
| | Re: I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Related is an adjective derived from a verb. Relative is, in this context, a noun.
He's not related to me. We're not related.
He's not my relative. He's not a relative of mine.
regards
edward
Do both related and relative fit in the above and mean about the same? Thanks.[/quote][quote=angliholic;240481]I just want to tell you that I am not related/relative to him in any way. |
29-Dec-2007, 00:35
| | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Country: China
Posts: 385
Current Location: USA First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other Thanks: 32
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
| | Re: I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by baqarah131 Related is an adjective derived from a verb. Relative is, in this context, a noun.
He's not related to me. We're not related.
He's not my relative. He's not a relative of mine.
regards
edward
Do both related and relative fit in the above and mean about the same? Thanks. | Quote:
Originally Posted by angliholic I just want to tell you that I am not related/relative to him in any way. | AS I said before, "relative" is often used as a noun, but it definitely can be used as an adjective. I would say, which one is right totally depends on what you really want to express. What do you really mean, in other words. |
29-Dec-2007, 01:07
| | Member | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Country: Canada
Posts: 399
Current Location: Canada First Language: English Member Type: Other Thanks: 0
Thanked 19 Times in 19 Posts
| | Re: I am not related/relative to him in any way.
I can't think of a way to use "relative" as an adjective if we're talking about family relationships--mother, uncle, cousin, etc.
Using relative as an adjective:
She left the kitchen and went to the relative quiet of the living room. (The living room wasn't quiet, but it was quieter than the kitchen.)
regards
edward Quote:
Originally Posted by ian2 AS I said before, "relative" is often used as a noun, but it definitely can be used as an adjective. I would say, which one is right totally depends on what you really want to express. What do you really mean, in other words. | |
29-Dec-2007, 01:36
| | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Country: China
Posts: 385
Current Location: USA First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other Thanks: 32
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
| | Re: I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by baqarah131 I can't think of a way to use "relative" as an adjective if we're talking about family relationships--mother, uncle, cousin, etc.
Using relative as an adjective:
She left the kitchen and went to the relative quiet of the living room. (The living room wasn't quiet, but it was quieter than the kitchen.)
regards
edward | You are totally right. It can't be used as an adjective to mean family relations. But it can be used as an adjective in other cases. |
29-Dec-2007, 01:38
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Country: Somewhere in Formosa
Posts: 2,183
Current Location: Homesweethome First Language: Taiwanese/Mandarin Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 22
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
| | Re: I am not related/relative to him in any way.
Thanks, ian2 and Edward.
I think I get the whole picture now. | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
Posting Rules
| You may post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT. The time now is 10:21. | |
