[General] have a child and give birth to a child

Status
Not open for further replies.

Larisa_rog

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Russian Federation
Current Location
Russian Federation
Please tell me if these phrases are absolutely synonymous. That is, are the following sentences correct and interchangeable? If so, what should be preferred?

She gave birth to two children in that marriage.
She had two children in/from this/that marriage.
 

freezeframe

Key Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
Canada
Please tell me if these phrases are absolutely synonymous. That is, are the following sentences correct and interchangeable? If so, what should be preferred?

She gave birth to two children in that marriage.
She had two children in/from this/that marriage.

She had two children ...

whether you choose in or from
and this or that

depends on what you want to say

You could say "gave birth" but we don't usually say that unless it's crucial to specify that they're her biological children or something like that.
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Please tell me if these phrases are absolutely synonymous.

Do not expect any two phrases to be absolutely synonymous.

They might have the same meaning, as your examples do, but their use is determined by the context, as illustrated by freezeframe.

Rover
 
Last edited:

konungursvia

VIP Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
Canada
To give birth is just the biological process; to have the child is the social parenting; in many cases these are done by one and the same mother.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top