John called a restaurant and booked a table in the name of Jerry.

Status
Not open for further replies.

tufguy

VIP Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Location
India
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Hindi
Home Country
India
Current Location
India
John called a restaurant and booked a table in the name of Jerry.

Please check my sentence.
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Let's hope he remembers that he lied about his name when he arrives at the restaurant. :)
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
You could use under the name of Jerry.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Tufguy, are you aware that your sentence means that John was booking a table for himself but he told the restaurant his name was Jerry, not John? I just want to be sure that you weren't trying to say that John booked a table on behalf of Jerry.
 

tufguy

VIP Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Location
India
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Hindi
Home Country
India
Current Location
India
Tufguy, are you aware that your sentence means that John was booking a table for himself but he told the restaurant his name was Jerry, not John? I just want to be sure that you weren't trying to say that John booked a table on behalf of Jerry.


Yes, he booked a table on behalf of Jerry. This is what I want to say. So do we need to say something different if we have to say this?
 

andrewg927

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2017
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Yes. You do. As EMS suggested, use "on behalf of" instead of "in the name".
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Yes, he booked a table on behalf of Jerry. This is what I want to say. So do we need to say something different if we have to say this?

Yes, you need to use "on behalf of Jerry" or "for Jerry".

The actual phone conversation would sound the same regardless of whether John was simply lying about his name or booking the table for his friend/colleague.

(Phone rings)
Restaurant owner: Hello. Planet Delicious.
John: Hi. I'd like to book a table please.
Owner: Of course. When for?
John: Saturday the third of June.
Owner: OK. What time?
John: 7.30.
Owner: Yes, that's fine. For how many people?
John: Six.
Owner: OK. That's all booked in. Can I take your name please?
John: Jerry.
Owner: Great. See you on the 3rd.
John: Thanks. Bye.
 

andrewg927

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2017
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
I would be more likely to hear a conversation like this in my town. I'm filling in for John but this is what I would generally expect to hear from the operator. (hearing directly from a restaurant owner is not typical but possible in smaller restaurants).

Operator: Planet Delicious, this is Max. How can I help you?
John: Hi. I want to book a table please.
Owner: When?
John: This Saturday.
Owner: We got 6, 7, 7:30, or 8.
John: 7.30 please.
Owner: How many people?
John: Six.
Owner: Can I take your name?
John: Jerry.
Owner: I got you down. Anything else?
John: No. Thanks. Bye.
 
Last edited:

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Yes ... asked and answered in post #2.
 

andrewg927

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2017
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
The original sentence is fine.

No. It's not. Tufguy wants to say John books the table on behalf of Jerry. "in the name of Jerry" is ambiguous if not wrong.
 

andrewg927

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2017
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
It is not wrong in BrE. It's absolutely fine if 'Jerry' is a surname; it would be more natural as 'in Jerry's name' if 'Jerrry' is a forename'.

There is no indication from tufguy that Jerry is intended to be a surname. More likely, he or she wants it to be first name. Even if it is not wrong, it is best for the student to be clear with their word choice to avoid the ambiguity.
 

andrewg927

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2017
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
The ambiguity is that did John call on behalf of Jerry or did he use a different name to book a table for himself. And I agree with EMS about an earlier post that tufguy needs to change the sentence to on behalf of since that is what he/she wants to express.
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
As there has been no response from tufguy since post #7, he probably lost interest long ago.
 

tufguy

VIP Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Location
India
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Hindi
Home Country
India
Current Location
India
As there has been no response from tufguy since post #7, he probably lost interest long ago.

No I haven't but I have got the answer. I read all the reposes. You have already corrected the sentence. There is no reason for me to be posting more comments.
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Quite so, but a click on Thank or Like would be appreciated.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top