To parrot

[Giulia]

Hello,

If you were to say "She repeated his words" using the verb "to parrot", would these sentences be correct?

- She parroted his words.

- She parroted him.

- "...direct speech..." she parroted.


The sentence is mine and here is the verb definition: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/parroted

Thank you

 

[Yankee]

Well, not commonly used, but in the appropriate context/listener it would be OK.

 

[GoesStation]

- She parroted his words.

- She parroted him.

- "...direct speech..." she parroted.

The first two are fine. I don't understand what you mean by the third; if you're asking whether "she parroted" is a correct sentence, it isn't. You have to parrot something.

Please number your sentences in the future.

 

[emsr2d2]

I think in sentence 3, you mean something like:

"I'm too tired to do any work", said Alan to Sarah, with a yawn. "I'm too tired to do any work", she parroted, sarcastically, with an even bigger yawn. What was he complaining about? She was the one who had been up since 4am!

Is that the kind of thing you were getting at?

 

[Tdol]

The idea of repeating things without thinking or understanding is an important part of this verb for me.

 

[Giulia]

The first two are fine. I don't understand what you mean by the third; if you're asking whether "she parroted" is a correct sentence, it isn't. You have to parrot something.

I think in sentence 3, you mean something like:

"I'm too tired to do any work", said Alan to Sarah, with a yawn. "I'm too tired to do any work", she parroted, sarcastically, with an even bigger yawn. What was he complaining about? She was the one who had been up since 4am!

Is that the kind of thing you were getting at?

Sentence 3 is because I thought that, maybe, it was possible to omit what is being parroted in a text with direct speech. I thought, to parrot could be used in the same way as the verbs to say or to ask.

Something like this:
"I'm too tired to do any work", said Alan. "I am tired too." She answered.

 

[emsr2d2]

Sentence 3 is because I thought that, maybe, it was possible to omit what is being parroted in a text with direct speech. I thought, to parrot could be used in the same way as the verbs to say or to ask.

Something like this:
"I'm too tired to do any work", said Alan. "I am tired too", she answered.

She doesn't copy his exact words so she's not parroting in that example.