[Idiom] a barbecue party

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Ashiuhto

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Nov 30, 2010
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English Teacher
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
Taiwan
Current Location
Taiwan
Are the following sentences acceptable? Which is better?

(1) The Smith family had a barbecue party to celebrate the festival.
(2) The Smith family celebrated the festival by having a barbecue party.
(3) The Smith family celebrated the festival by barbecuing.
 

bhaisahab

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Apr 12, 2008
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Retired English Teacher
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British English
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England
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Ireland
Are the following sentences acceptable? Which is better?

(1) The Smith family had a barbecue party to celebrate the festival.
(2) The Smith family celebrated the festival by having a barbecue party.
(3) The Smith family celebrated the festival by barbecuing.
1 and 2 are OK.
 

Ouisch

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Mar 27, 2006
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English Teacher
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English
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United States
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United States
In AmE, we don't often say "barbecue party", we just say "barbecue."

So, in AmE, instead of this:
(1) The Smith family had a barbecue party to celebrate the festival.
We would say:
The Smith family had a barbecue to celebrate the festival.

Instead of this:
(2) The Smith family celebrated the festival by having a barbecue party.
This:
The Smith family celebrated the festival by having a barbecue.

This sentence is fine:
(3) The Smith family celebrated the festival by barbecuing.

Some native speakers might expand the sentence a bit and be more specific about what food(s) were cooked at the barbecue:
The Smith family celebrated the festival by barbecuing steaks and corn on the cob.
 
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