when a person resembles one parent

[alpacinou]

I want to express the idea that a person look like and behaves like one parent.

Does this work? If not, how can I express the idea?

Most of Jack's DNA came from his father's side. He looked like him and had similar personality traits as his father.

 

[emsr2d2]

I want to express the idea that a person looks like and behaves like one parent.

Does this work? If not, how can I express the idea?

Most of Jack's [STRIKE]DNA[/STRIKE] genes [STRIKE]came[/STRIKE] come/are from his father's side. He looked like him and had similar personality traits [STRIKE]as[/STRIKE] to [STRIKE]his father[/STRIKE] him.

See above.

Remember the golden rule:
different from
similar to

 

[probus]

Most of Jack's DNA came from his father's side. He looked like him and had similar personality traits as his father.

I can't resist quibbling with that, although my objection has nothing to do with English. We get half of our DNA from each of our parents (ignoring the very small amount of mitochondrial DNA, which we get only from our mothers.)

 

[canadalynx]

I am not a teacher.

Jack is a chip off the old block.
Jack is the spitting image of his father.
Jack takes after his father.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Voilà.

 

[tedmc]

Jack bears a remarkable resemblance to his father.

 

[canadalynx]

I am not a teacher.

The phrase "to be a carbon copy of someone" is quite contemporary.
Jack is a carbon copy of his father.

 

[probus]

You are taking a rather long view of the meaning of "contemporary". Carbon paper was used in the offices I worked in fifty years ago, but it's practically extinct nowadays.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

You are taking a rather long view of the meaning of "contemporary". Carbon paper was used in the offices I worked in fifty years ago, but it's practically extinct nowadays.

A friend of mine went into an office supply store and asked where the carbon paper was. The clerk said, "In back, next to the dinosaur food."

 

[canadalynx]

I can still see carbon papers these days.
That clerk was rude and should be given the pink slip.

 

[kilroy65]

I can't resist quibbling with that, although my objection has nothing to do with English. We get half of our DNA from each of our parents (ignoring the very small amount of mitochondrial DNA, which we get only from our mothers.)

Quite. :up:


View attachment 4078

 

[emsr2d2]

I [STRIKE]can[/STRIKE] still see carbon [STRIKE]papers[/STRIKE] paper these days. That clerk was rude and should be given [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] a pink slip.

Note my corrections above.

Do you mean the clerk should be given the sack?

 

[canadalynx]

Well, I used "the" for the same reason as "the sack".
I wasn't referring to the certificate of title.

I used the term 'pink slip' because of Charlie.
P45 for British.

@Probus : Yes, I did find it amusing but still R-U-D-E.

 

[probus]

Do you mean the clerk should be given the sack?

Pink slip is a very common idiom for dismissal in my part of the world.

And to canandalynx: I would not sack the clerk for having a good sense of humour. Keep in mind that probably none of us are capable of joking or understanding jokes in a language other than our mother tongue.

 

[emsr2d2]

Pink slip is a very common idiom for dismissal in my part of the world.

But is it "to be given the pink slip"?

 

[probus]

Both the and a are used with pink slip in my region. We also use get the sack for get sacked or be sacked.

 

[emsr2d2]

I always thought a pink slip was the piece of paper high school students in the USA were given when they'd misbehaved and were sent out into the hallway to think about what they'd done, or sent to the principal's office!
Live and learn.

In the UK: get fired/get sacked/get the sack/get the boot (inf.)

 

[Tdol]

And the heave-ho

 

[probus]

A colourful expression I haven't heard lately is get one's walking papers.