y or ies
- Thread starter jennifer75
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2007
- Messages
- 6,449
- Reaction score
- 1,321
All are grammatically correct.
I prefer "to offer her sympathy," even though the idiom is "My sympathies," when one is saying it aloud.
I prefer "to offer her sympathy," even though the idiom is "My sympathies," when one is saying it aloud.
In my case, "her" being the owner of the sympathies....
So in the case of "let me offer my condolences" ..... "let me offer my sympathies" ...... does that work the same?
So in the case of "let me offer my condolences" ..... "let me offer my sympathies" ...... does that work the same?
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2007
- Messages
- 6,449
- Reaction score
- 1,321
No, no, I got what you meant (even if I didn't respond coherently enough!)
I like this:
Jane approached the Nelsons in their chairs by the casket. She shifted from foot to foot as she waited in line to offer her sympathy.
more than this:
Jane approached the Nelsons in their chairs by the casket. She shifted from foot to foot as she waited in line to offer her sympathies.
But they're both perfectly correct, as is ...she waited in line to offer sympathy.
Use the one you like best.
I'm not sure if I understand you, but i would think "condolences" is more appropriate in the first person. I think sympathies/sympathy is better in second and third.
In my situation, there is no death and condolances makes me think of death before anything else.
Thanks guys, I think I'm good... here is the paragraph, tell me what you think:
Thanks guys, I think I'm good... here is the paragraph, tell me what you think:
The plural "sympathies" sounds odd to me. Not grammatically wrong, just not the usual way of saying it.
The other two choices are both fine. It depends on context which one works better. I have a slight preference for omitting "her" unless there is a specific reason to include it.
Ah, on preview I see you have posted the paragraph. Yes, I do think you need the "her" in there. Although, to be honest, I find that whole sentence rather awkward. It has an awful lot going on; it might do better broken up.
They're all grammatically correct, as pointed out earlier.
As for preference--I prefer to think of each of us as only owning a single sense of sympathy. It's not like I have 100 sympathy sitting around. I only have one, and I may give you a lot of it or a little of it, but I've only got one.
I would say "You have my deepest sympathy" to someone. But if I were writing a card to someone from both myself and my write, I'd write "You have our deepest sympathies," because it includes both of our two, separate sympathies.
That's just how I see it. But maybe that's weird and I should be committed.
Use whatever makes most sense to you.
As for preference--I prefer to think of each of us as only owning a single sense of sympathy. It's not like I have 100 sympathy sitting around. I only have one, and I may give you a lot of it or a little of it, but I've only got one.
I would say "You have my deepest sympathy" to someone. But if I were writing a card to someone from both myself and my write, I'd write "You have our deepest sympathies," because it includes both of our two, separate sympathies.
That's just how I see it. But maybe that's weird and I should be committed.
Use whatever makes most sense to you.
Yea, reading it again it does look awkward. It will get reworded later. Can't deal with it right now
- Status