in the family way. vs on the family way.

[Hanifasmm]

Hi everybody
1. She is -in/on- the family way.
Which is the right preposition for the
above sentence? Could you please confirm?
What are other polite form of expression
to ask a lady whether she is pregnant or not?
Thanks,
Er.S.M.M.Hanifa

[Alan]

Hi,

'In' would be the correct preposition here. I would suggest: Is she expecting?

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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[Hanifasmm]

In second person, how can I ask the question?
Are you pregnant?
Are you conceived?
Are you carrying?
Are you expecting?
Which of the above are correct colloquially and most used?
If they are not, please enlighten me with the proper sentences.
Thanks,
Er.S.M.M.Hanifa

[Milanya]

Are you pregnant? - grammatically correct, but you have to be on very close terms with a person to ask so personal a question. A doctor might ask such a question to find out about person's condition.
Are you conceived? - grammatically incorrect. I take it back. We all had been conceived before we were born, but you cannot ask this of an embrio and expect to get an answer.
Are you carrying? - I have heard this question numerous times in police movies. It usually meant "Do you have a gun on you?"
Are you expecting? - grammatically correct, but you have to be on close terms with a person to ask so personal a question.
A close friend might ask it. If you are not a close friend, you might get "What busines is it of yours?" in terms of an answer.
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con·text - The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.

[Hanifasmm]

Ms.Milanya,
I have come across the following sentences.
She conceives a child.
She was carrying twins.
So asking pregnancy, using the words - conceived and carrying,
is it not allowed?
I hear in India using such words.
Please freely comment.
Thanks a lot for your great explanation,
ErS.M.M.Hanifa

[Milanya]

It is allowed. But you would not ask a stranger these questions. What is a point?

It all depends on context.

She conceives a child. grammatically incorrect. You might want to rephrase: She conceives a child everytime she has sex. She has 22 so far. Or Her name is Mary, she usually conceives without a man involved.

She was carrying twins. - Without context it is just a tad ambiguous. She was carrying twins in her arms. is also possible. Actually, you can say: She is carrying a baby (twins, triplets, etc.), but not just: She is carrying.

Context is important!
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con·text - The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.