The Prime Minister's Mum

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Bassim

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Would you please correct the mistakes in my text?

When Rosalie, the Prime Minister’s mum, visited her son for the first time after he had won the election, she didn’t mince her words.

“My poor Andy, my poor child,” she said, holding her hands together in front of her. “How could you allow yourself to be dominated by your wife?”

“Mum—”

“Please, don’t tell me anything. Your father must be turning in his grave.”

“Mum, let me explain—”

“No self-respecting man should let that happen. Don’t you remember how I taught you to be the real man all the time. Don’t you see, my poor child, that you have turned out to be a sissy?”

“Please, mum—”

“Don’t interrupt me. You shame me, child. The whole country is scoffing at you. You’ve become a laughing stock. Everybody says it is she who makes decisions, who sacks people as she pleases, and gives jobs to her friends. How can you allow that to happen? Don’t you have b*ls?”

“Mum, don’t believe all the papers say. It’s I who make decisions. Samantha isn’t interested in politics at all.”

“You’re gullible like a nun. I’m a woman, I know how women think. I warn you, son, if you aren’t watchful, she’ll throw you on the street and appoint herself the Prime Minister, and you can stand outside, homeless, and destitute, and curse your own nativity. She’ll cast a spell on Parliament, and they’ll dance to her tune, because they are stupid men.”

“Mum, please don’t exaggerate. I know Samantha well. We love each other. She’ll never do anything to harm me.”

Rosalie shook her head. “You’re so naïve, son. You’ll never know how women think, even if you lived two hundred years. By the way, where is she? I didn’t see her when I arrived.”

“She'd gone to Paris.”

“Paris! Alone? What is she doing there?”

“She went to buy some curtains.”

Rosalie looked up at the ceiling. “Oh God. Why did I give birth to an idiot? I see a pair of horns growing on your head. And when we are talking about your head, please have a proper haircut, son. You can’t go around with such untidy hair. You’re not a boy anymore.”

“Yes, Mum.”
 

Charlie Bernstein

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Would you please correct the mistakes in my text?

When Rosalie, the Prime Minister’s mum, visited her son for the first time after he had won the election, she didn’t mince her words.

“My poor Andy, my poor child,” she said, holding her hands together in front of her. “How could you allow yourself to be dominated by your wife?”

“Mum—”

“Please, don’t tell me anything. Your father must be turning in his grave.”

“Mum, let me explain—”

“No self-respecting man should let that happen. Don’t you remember how I taught you to be the real man all the time? Don’t you see, my poor child, that you have turned out to be a sissy?”

“Please, mum—”

“Don’t interrupt me. You shame me, child. The whole country is scoffing at you. You’ve become a laughing stock. Everybody says it is she who makes decisions, who sacks people as she pleases, and gives jobs to her friends. How can you allow that to happen? Don’t you have b*ls?”

“Mum, don’t believe all the papers say. It’s I who make decisions. Samantha isn’t interested in politics at all.”

“You’re gullible, like a nun. I’m a woman. I know how women think. I warn you, son, if you aren’t careful, she’ll throw you on the street and appoint herself the Prime Minister, and you can stand outside, homeless[STRIKE],[/STRIKE] and destitute[STRIKE],[/STRIKE] and curse your own naivete. She’ll cast a spell on Parliament, and they’ll dance to her tune, because they are stupid men.”

“Mum, please don’t exaggerate. I know Samantha well. We love each other. She’ll never do anything to harm me.”

Rosalie shook her head. “You’re so naive, son. You’ll never know how women think, even if you lived two hundred years. By the way, where is she? I didn’t see her when I arrived.”

“She'd gone to Paris.”

“Paris! Alone? What is she doing there?”

“She went to buy some curtains.”

Rosalie looked up at the ceiling. “Oh, God. Why did I give birth to an idiot? I see a pair of horns growing on your head. And when we are talking about your head, please have a proper haircut, son. You can’t go around with such untidy hair. You’re not a boy anymore.”

“Yes, Mum.”
Since when are nuns gullible?

Look up nativity.
 

Bassim

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Would it be OK to write this?

"You are as gullible as a virgin bride."
 

5jj

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Bassim

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What about "gullible like a bumpkin"?
 

5jj

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Charlie Bernstein

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Would it be OK to write this?

"You are as gullible as a virgin bride."
No. Why do you think virgins are gullible? Gullible people can lose their virginity more quickly than others.

You might not understand what gullible means. Where did you find it? Have you looked it up?
 
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Charlie Bernstein

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What about "gullible like a bumpkin"?
Bumpkins are not sophisticated, trendy, or worldly, but that doesn't mean they're gullible.

Being a bumpkin, nun, or virgin does not mean you are easily fooled or deceived.

Here is an example of gullibility:

There is a private school in the US state of Florida that fires teacher who get covid vaccinations. They say the vaccine can make people sterile. They also say standing near someone who has been vaccinated can make you sterile.

Parents who trust that school are gullible.
 
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Bassim

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Charlie,
Thank you for your examples. I know that a gullible person is someone who is easily deceived.
Would this sentence be OK?

You're as gullible as tourists who buy "antiques" from a hawker.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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Charlie,
Thank you for your examples. I know that a gullible person is someone who is easily deceived.
Would this sentence be OK?

You're as gullible as tourists who buy "antiques" from hawkers.
That makes more sense.

The quotation marks are good. They make it clear that the items are not really antiques.
 

Tarheel

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By the way, where is she? I didn't see her when I arrived.

She's gone to Paris.

Or:

She's in Paris.

Or:

Paris.
 

alpacinou

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Would it be OK to write this?

"You are as gullible as a virgin bride."

I find it weird and creepy and offensive to women.
 

emsr2d2

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I find it weird and creepy and offensive to women.

Also, there are probably so few virgin brides these days that it seems ridiculous to use them as an example/stereotype of anything.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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Also, there are probably so few virgin brides these days that it seems ridiculous to use them as an example/stereotype of anything.
But the main problem is that if she's still a virgin it's probably because she's the opposite of gullible! (See post 7.)
 
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