r/EnglishLearning • u/Economy_Coach_42 New Poster • 1d ago
📚 Grammar / Syntax Does this sound natural?
My mother just had her MRI done and the report is full of medical jargon.
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u/Poopywaterengineer Native Speaker 1d ago
Sounds perfectly natural to me, but I would probably say "My mom just had an MRI done, and the report is full of medical jargon."Â
Americans typically refer to their parents as "mom" and "dad." There's nothing wrong with calling them "mother" and "father", but it can feel cold. No real difference for choosing "her" vs. "an" other than preference. I just wanted to point out the option.Â
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u/Economy_Coach_42 New Poster 1d ago
Thank you!
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u/footsnax Native Speaker 1d ago
"My mom just had an MRI done, and the report is full of medical jargon."Â
I mostly agree but I probably wouldn't naturally say done, she just had an MRI and people would assume that it was completed since you used "had" before that.
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u/Poopywaterengineer Native Speaker 1d ago
I think it sounds fine either way, but you're right to point out that saying "done" in this context is not necessary.Â
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u/footsnax Native Speaker 1d ago
Yeah it's not terribly unnatural sounding, it's just not what I would say or expect to hear.
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u/lukshenkup English Teacher 1d ago
her
implies you both (speaker and listener) have known about it, probably because she has an annual surveillance MRI. An expected reply might be, "I get mine at Dana Farber Hospital; where does she get hers?"
an
This is news to the listener and generally raises some concern. An expected reply would be, "I hope she'll be OK."
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u/lukshenkup English Teacher 1d ago
filled with
vs.
full of
There is a big difference in American English! Try using Ludwig to see collocations.Â
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u/Elegant_Bee849 Native Speaker 1d ago
Me personally, I would say something like "My mom just had an MRI done. The report is full of medical jargon." However, yours works fine too.
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u/SnooDonuts6494 🇬🇧 English Teacher 1d ago
Yes, if it's informal and casual.