[Grammar] This is my mom and dad

[mshahsavar]

What is the difference between 'This is my mom and dad.' and 'They are my mom and dad.'
Can we use 'this' with plural nouns?

 

[Tarheel]

The question should be:

What is the difference between "This is my mom and dad" and "They are my mom and dad"?

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The answer is it's about usage. In the first instance your parents are, presumably, in the room and nearby. You are introducing them to somebody, and you say: "This is my mom and dad." In the second instance somebody has said, perhaps: "Who are Debbie Simpson and Allen Simpson?" and you reply: "They are my mom and dad."

Don't use "this" with plural nouns, but "mom" and "dad" are not plural nouns.

 

[mshahsavar]

These two sentences have been used by somebody pointing to the photos of a man and a woman.

 

[emsr2d2]

You know these two sentences have been used by somebody pointing to the photos of a man and a woman.

Do I? How do I know this?

 

[Tarheel]

These two sentences have been used by somebody pointing to the photos of a man and a woman.

In that case you could use either sentence.

 

[Tdol]

What is the difference between 'This is my mom and dad.' and 'They are my mom and dad.'
Can we use 'this' with plural nouns?

In some cases. You might think of the two of them making up a single unit - parents. It wouldn't work so well with one clearly plural noun- [strike]this is my teachers[/strike].

 

[mshahsavar]

So given the situation, we can use both these two structures for introducing somebody. But if it is a plural noun which does not make any units we must use just 'they'.

 

[mshahsavar]

Can we start any sentence with 'you know'?

 

[Barb_D]

Can we start any sentence with 'you know'?

If you are completely certain that the person you are talking to does know it, yes.

 

[emsr2d2]

In case anyone is confused by post #4, please note that after I quoted post #3 starting with "You know", post #3 was edited to remove "You know". I don't know when it happened (there is no "Edited by" note at the bottom.)

 

[Tarheel]

In case anyone is confused by post #4, please note that after I quoted post #3 starting with "You know", post #3 was edited to remove "You know". I don't know when it happened (there is no "Edited by" note at the bottom.)

A software burp? (That means we can blame Red5. ;-))

To mshahsavar:

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1.
A. Who are they?
B. They are my mom and dad. (One possible response to the question.)

2.
You can start a sentence any way you want to, but that doesn't mean it's going to make sense. For example, if I say "You know what I mean" I am assuming the person has a certain kind of knowledge (which he may or may not have). I could say "You know what I'm talking about" but I could be wrong. (Of course, I am never wrong. ;-))


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