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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I wrote a bit of rude reply on my son's English test!

130 replies

LinoleumBlownapart · 03/04/2018 17:04

Now I'm feeling a bit bad and I can't erase it because I wrote in pen, but my son got 8.75 out of 10 on his English as a second language test (we live abroad) but he chose the only right answer and the teacher marked it wrong. I wrote because I thought maybe she wanted the answer in past perfect! On the second page he got another question wrong, I think she wanted him to write "haven't" but he wrote "don't have". But "My parents haven't a lot of money" sounds wrong, but is it? I'm attaching pictures because I'm confusing myself. AIBU to talk to the teacher or should I let it go and not be one of those parents.

I wrote a bit of rude reply on my son's English test!
I wrote a bit of rude reply on my son's English test!
OP posts:
Flyingpompom · 03/04/2018 17:05

The one in the picture should be chose.

HollowTalk · 03/04/2018 17:07

I think "my parents haven't a lot of money" sounds fine, but "my parents don't have a lot of money" sounds fine, too!

Plumsofwrath · 03/04/2018 17:07

Can’t see the first image. But it look like you DS selected “chose” and the teacher marked him wrong and said it ought to have been “had chosen” - but that wasn’t one of the choices? And anyway “chose” works too. Don’t get it?

Flyingpompom · 03/04/2018 17:07

I agree with don't have, haven't is an archaic usage. We might say 'haven't got' colloquially.

Ofitck · 03/04/2018 17:08

Yanbu - is the teacher saying “have choose” is the right answer? I don’t see why it has to be past perfect though, past simple sounds better to me.

And on “haven’t” a lot of money - I’d have thought it needed to be “don’t have” or “haven’t got” although I suppose “haven’t” is getting more widely used.

Flyingpompom · 03/04/2018 17:08

Only chose works in the second example. None of the others make sense.

Slightlyperturbedowlagain · 03/04/2018 17:12

Or just be glad you aren’t struggling with ‘fronted adverbials’ in the UK Confused

veggiethrower · 03/04/2018 17:15

Did you write "should be had chosen". Can't make out who has written what.
The answer is chose.
Teacher maybe thinks "have chosen" is correct - present perfect because the name of the team was chosen at the beginning of the season and is still the same now - ie. action beginning in the past which has an influence on the present but it is not correct because "at the beginning of the season" indicates simple past.

The "haven't" business... yes some of the English language teaching in Europe does use archaic expressions like that.

newtlover · 03/04/2018 17:17

he got 8.75 out of 10? Let it go

BitOutOfPractice · 03/04/2018 17:18

I agree "my parents haven't a lot of money" sounds a bit odd.

I'd say
"my parents haven't got a lot of money"

or "my parents don't have a lot of money"

But don't write to the teacher. It's a bit knobby

veggiethrower · 03/04/2018 17:19

Also past perfect wouldn't be correct either without some sort of qualifying statement.
Eg. The team had chosen the name at the beginning of the season but they changed it later.
The team had chosen the name before the competition began.

madamedepoppadom · 03/04/2018 17:19

Haven't = nobody says that

Haven't got = UK English

Don't have = American English

ButchyRestingFace · 03/04/2018 17:20

"My parents haven't got a lot of money" sounds fine.

"My parents haven't a lot of money" sounds like one of those things (some) people might say, but I wouldn't write it down.

sirlee66 · 03/04/2018 17:24

I'm probably wrong but: 'haven't' with the apostrophe would mean 'have not'? (Like 'don't' = 'do not')

So saying 'my parents haven't a lot of money' is like saying 'my parents have not a lot of money' which just doesn't sound like correct English to me. Maybe in Shakespeare's day.

Grammar has never been my strong point though!

RandomMess · 03/04/2018 17:30

TBH what sounds correct and what is grammatically correct are often 2 completely things IME!!

Pinkvoid · 03/04/2018 17:36

Haven’t got or don’t have would be fine. Haven’t a lot of money sounds colloquial/archaic, I would correct a student for it (English teacher at college level.)

StormTreader · 03/04/2018 17:39

"My parents haven't a lot of money" is incorrect, because you aren't filling in a necessary word - my parents haven't got a lot of money? My parents haven't seen a lot of money? My parents haven't earned a lot of money? My parents haven't spent a lot of money?

Of course, haven't got is the expected and most common version, and people would understand it as that if you said it, but it's not correct to write that.

DullAndOld · 03/04/2018 17:41

I wouldn't worry too much about it, but she might get annoyed and take it out on him.
Why is he even in English as a second language classes anyway? is there nothing else he could be doing?

NotAgainYoda · 03/04/2018 17:44

I mark homework (TA) and had a parent repeatedly correcting my spelling of practise (verb). Silly billy. I resisted the urge to mark her marking Grin

Haffdonga · 03/04/2018 17:45

You're right. Teacher is wrong.

OyO · 03/04/2018 17:45

I’d have to query it with her too.

ScottishInSwitzerland · 03/04/2018 17:45

I think studying English as a second language as a native speaking child living abroad can be tricky. But he needs to study what the teacher has taught him and use her vocabulary etc in any assessments. It may be a useful exercise in listening to instructions.

skippykips · 03/04/2018 17:45

My parents do not have a lot of money?

OyO · 03/04/2018 17:46

... so I don’t blame you on that but I can’t work out much of the writing from the photos.

NotAgainYoda · 03/04/2018 17:47

'Haven't got' is what English speakers in the UK always used to say. 'Don't have' is much more commonplace now (and is American English AFAIK)