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Child: I am Papa's child. I am Mama's child.
Mama: Oh, so you are both of our child?

Is Mama's reply correct?

I want to use "both of" in my reply. How should I form the sentence if the above sentence is wrong?

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2 Answers 2

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Child: I am Papa's child. I am Mama's child.

Mama: Oh, so you are both of our child?

Both X or both of X means two/a pair of X together. There is one child, so both can't be used this way to refer to the child (keep reading, though).

There are two parents, which form a pair, so you want to use both referring to them. This is likely what you are looking for:

Mama: Oh, so you are the child of both of us?

or

Mama: Oh, so you are the child of us both?


Now, if the parents were responding to the child with a joke or sarcastic retort, then Mama might say:

Mama: Oh, so you are both of our children?

The plural of child is children and since both refers to two things what follows has to be a plural.

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Oh, so you are both of our child?

is incorrect. You can't say you are both, because both refers to you, and there is only one of you. I would say:

Mama: Oh, so you are our child?

This automatically implies both parents, when Mama says "our".

To write this concept using "both":

Mama: Oh, so you are a/the child of both of us?

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  • 2
    For me, "our" must be emphasized in "you are our child" for this to have the right meaning in context: "Oh, so you are our child?"
    – Dan Getz
    Commented Jan 3, 2016 at 4:47
  • Or, if Mom wants to tease the child as to its parentage, emphasize are: "Oh, so you are our child?
    – user3169
    Commented Jan 3, 2016 at 5:20

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