Can I use "That / My + a person's name" ?
I think I've seen this somewhere, but are these correct? Can I use these?
I totally hate that John.
You don't know she's so evil. That Jane is just evil.
That + name = negative?
Stay away from my Lisa.
Just tell your Michael that you love him so much.
My + name = for beloved friends and girlfriend/boyfriend?
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 4
1
You are, but it can be touchy.
It is rarer in US English than it is in British English and I would more likely hear a parent talk about "my Jenny" when they're talking about their child. I may also use "our" (not "my," but "our") if I'm talking about a person in a group (company, school, club) that we all belong to. But as Kate says, using it can have a nasty twinge of ownership. And you don't want to do that.
1
It's not uncommon in British English (and I've heard it elsewhere, too) to refer to "my Derek", "her Bob" or "our Lisa."
"That <name>" as you have it means you're expressing a mild disbelief at something about the person. It would usually (but not necessarily) be negative.
1
No, you are never allowed to use possessive pronouns with a person's name.
Because it implies ownership, the only exception to this that I can think of would be if you owned a slave (Lisa) and you were speaking to someone about her: "Stay away from my Lisa."
There is not the same connotation with MY + nouns that are not proper nouns.Therefore, "my boyfriend" is perfectly normal and good thing to say.
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