"in front of family" vs. "in front of their families"

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shiqangpan
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"in front of family" vs. "in front of their families"

Post by shiqangpan »

Here is a synopsis of the first episode of the tenth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theoryhttps://bigbangtheory.fandom.com/wiki/T ... Conjecture.
After Sheldon’s mother and Leonard's father share an evening together, everyone deals with an awkward morning the next day. Also, Penny’s family arrives for the wedding ceremony, including her anxiety-ridden mother, Susan, and her drug-dealing brother, Randall. Leonard and Penny reaffirm their vows in front of friends and family. Meanwhile, Howard's paranoia towards the military comes to fruition.
Which uses "friends" in its plural form and "family" in singular. I guess it's because "friend" can only be used as a countable noun while "family" can be used as either an uncountable or a countable noun

Furthermore, when a noun, "family" in this case, can be either uncountable or countable, it will be in the singular form, e.g. in front of family.

Is it clear and natural to say it this way?
Leonard and Penny reaffirm their vows "in front of their families"
Do my version and the original mean the same thing, assuming there is no friends there?
patron
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Re: "in front of family" vs. "in front of their families"

Post by patron »

Yes, your version is correct= Leonard and Penny reaffirm their vows "in front of their families" :ok:
Randall. Leonard and Penny reaffirm their vows in front of friends and family. Meanwhile, Howard's paranoia towards the military comes to fruition.
In the sentence above the singular form family is used. This is a collective noun that describes a group of people who are closely related to each other.

It is in the singular form because it is referring to a couple called Penny and Leonard who are married. When people are married it is often understood that two families become one big family i.e the couple share a common family.

Another reason why friends and family is used is probably because this is an expression in English that was used years ago and has remained in modern day English.

The plural form families is used to refer to two or more families who are not closely related or to families in general.

e.g Families in Canada often go camping. = refers to families in general.

e.g There are two families on my street who love to barbeque. = refers to two specific families.

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shiqangpan
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Re: "in front of family" vs. "in front of their families"

Post by shiqangpan »

Thank you so much. So both versions are clear and natural, though the original is more common, right?
patron
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Re: "in front of family" vs. "in front of their families"

Post by patron »

1.Leonard and Penny reaffirm their vows "in front of their families" :ok:

2.Randall. Leonard and Penny reaffirm their vows in front of friends and family :ok:

Both versions 1 and 2 above are natural and clear.

Version 2 is a very common expression in English and I think it is safe to say that most people will use it.

In a way, the expression friends and family is like an idiom because idioms don't always follow the rules of English, but people accept and understand their meaning.
shiqangpan
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Re: "in front of family" vs. "in front of their families"

Post by shiqangpan »

Your explanation is crystal clear. Thank you so much. That’s very kind of you.
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