Keep a lookout for the red lantern signal

Silverobama

Key Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
I usually can hear parents talk with their children in English in my city. I think it's because we begin to learn English when we are very young and parents are demanding, hoping that their kids can speak fluent English as soon as possible.

Today when I was standing at the intersection waiting for the light to turn green (usually there's a sign of human which tells people to cross the road), I heard a mom say to his child who was about to cross the road without noticing the light.

Keep a lookout for the red lantern signal.

Is it natural to say this?
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
No — delete ‘lantern’.

NOTE: moms are usually female, so ‘… her child’.
 

Silverobama

Key Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
No — delete ‘lantern’.

NOTE: moms are usually female, so ‘… her child’.
Hi Rover. I wonder if native speakers would say to their kids or someone who's trying to cross the road but without noticing the red light this.

Keep a lookout for the red signal.

Could you please tell me what a native speaker would use?
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I usually can often/frequently hear parents talking with their children in English in my city. I think it's because we begin to learn English when we are very young and parents are demanding, hoping that their kids can will [learn to] speak fluent English as soon as possible.

Today, when I was standing at the intersection waiting for the light to turn green (usually there's a sign of human person-shaped light which tells people to they can cross the road), I heard a mom say the following to his her child, who was about to cross the road without noticing the light.

Keep a lookout for the red lantern signal.

Is it natural to say this?
Note my changes to the top half of your post. Your sentence isn't natural. We'd say either "Wait for the little green man" (note that that's the phrase used in BrE to refer to that light shaped like a person), or "Don't cross now. The pedestrian light is still red".
 
Top