[Grammar] Growing up, my family was vegetarian.

[kadioguy]

(On the English language program Let's talk in English)

Pauline: Oh, Peter, I'm really going to need your help with today's eReport.
Peter: Why do you say that, Pauline?
Pauline: Because, Peter, I've never eaten steak before.
Peter: What? Never?
Pauline: No, remember? I'm vegetarian.
Peter: Oh, yeah... but never?
Pauline: Growing up, my family was vegetarian, so no, I've never tasted steak.
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Is the blue part a dangling modifier? I think the subject of the blue part should be Pauline, not her family. I would say: When I grew up, my family was vegetarian ....

What do you think?

 

[GoesStation]

I agree that it's a dangling modifier. This is a common error in speech and in writing.

The proposed alternative doesn't work, though, because it loses the continuous aspect. It says that Pauline's family was vegetarian at the time that she became mature, but doesn't say whether they had always been vegetarian.

 

[kadioguy]

The proposed alternative doesn't work, though, because it loses the continuous aspect. It says that Pauline's family was vegetarian at the time that she became mature, but doesn't say whether they had always been vegetarian.

Pardon me, but I don't understand what you mean. Do you mean in the original sentence Pauline could mean her family had always been vegetarian even before she became mature?

 

[GoesStation]

Pardon me, but I don't understand what you mean. Do you mean in the original sentence Pauline could mean her family had always been vegetarian even before she became mature?

That's the only logical conclusion. She meant When I was growing up, my family was vegetarian. Why else would she have mentioned this to explain why she'd never tasted steak?

 

[kadioguy]

a. When I was growing up, my family was vegetarian.
b. When I grew up, my family was vegetarian.
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I cannot tell what the difference in meaning is. Could you please help me?

 

[emsr2d2]

"When I was growing up" refers to the whole of my childhood.
"When I grew up" refers to the time after I became an adult.

When I was growing up, I wanted to become an astronaut or a lion tamer. When I grew up, I realised that neither occupation was stable or realistic, and I became an accountant.

 

[probus]

"Growing up my family was vegetarian."

In addition to being a grammatical error as pointed out by GoesStation, this flies in the face of logic. However, it is a fairly common mistake made even by native speakers. So while nobody should ever use it, learners should at least understand what the people who make this blunder are trying to say.

 

[emsr2d2]

But bear in mind that it's only a blunder because it's followed by "my family" and that's not who was growing up.

Growing up, my family was vegetarian. :cross:
Growing up, I was vegetarian. :tick:

 

[kadioguy]

But bear in mind that it's only a blunder because it's followed by "my family" and that's not who was growing up.

Growing up, my family was vegetarian. :cross:
Growing up, I was vegetarian. :tick:

Do you mean to say "... that's not the person who was growing up"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Well, no, because a family isn't just one person. It's several people. I meant that "my family" is not the combination of words that "growing up" refers to.

 

[kadioguy]

Well, no, because a family isn't just one person. It's several people. I meant that "my family" is not the combination of words that "growing up" refers to.

Thank you for replying.

"... that's not who was growing up."

I felt confused because I thought who here is a relative pronoun, so is there a antecedent missing?

 

[kadioguy]

"... that's not who was growing up."

Does 'who' here mean the following?

-----------
who
pron.
.
.
.
3. The person or persons that; whoever: Who believes that will believe anything.

https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=who&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

 

[GoesStation]

"... that's not who was growing up."

Does 'who' here mean the following?

-----------
who
pron.
.
.
.
3. The person or persons that; whoever: Who believes that will believe anything.

Yes.

 

[YAMATO2201]

Yes.

:shock:

5. the person or persons who [Archaic.]

http://www.wordreference.com/definition/who

I didn't think the "who" was a relative pronoun. Thanks, GS. :-D

 

[kadioguy]

But bear in mind that it's only a blunder because it's followed by "my family" and that's not who was growing up.

Growing up, my family was vegetarian. :cross:
Growing up, I was vegetarian. :tick:

Do you mean to say "... that's not the person who was growing up"?

If you don't mind, please let me explain it more.

Back to the original sentence, Pauline meant when she was growing up, she was vegetarian.

So in this sentence

'... it's only a blunder because it's followed by "my family" and that's not who was growing up.'

I thought the one who was growing up is Pauline and therefore I said '... it's followed by "my family" and that (= my family)'s not the person (= Pauline) who was growing up'.

This is why I said it.

Well, no, because a family isn't just one person. It's several people. I meant that "my family" is not the combination of words that "growing up" refers to.

 

[tedmc]

How about:

I grew up in a family of vegetarians?

I think it is awkward to start the sentence with "growing up".

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't find it awkward but there's nothing wrong with your version. One ambiguity exists in both versions - it's theoretically possible that the speaker wasn't vegetarian when they were growing up. The only thing we can be sure of is that everyone else in the family was vegetarian. Having said that, whilst it's possible that a teenager in a veggie family might unilaterally decide to start eating meat, a young child whose meals are all being prepared by veggie parents would obviously also be vegetarian.

 

[kadioguy]

Growing up, my family was vegetarian. :cross:
Growing up, I was vegetarian. :tick:
When I was growing up, my family was vegetarian.:tick:
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Have I understood it correctly?

 

[jutfrank]

I'm a bit lost here.

Pauline: Growing up, my family was vegetarian, so no, I've never tasted steak.

The sentence above is perfectly clear to me. The reason that Pauline has never tasted steak is that she has always been a vegetarian. The reason that she has always been a vegetarian is that her parents brought her up as one.

Growing up obviously means When I was growing up. I don't see anything wrong with it, whether it's dangling or not. It's a common way to refer to one's upbringing.

 

[probus]

I agree that it is common. It is nevertheless illogical and grammatically wrong. The speaker was growing up, not her family.