Is 'He is married with three children' Grammatically Correct?

The sentence There is something called intuitive judgement, a decision reached on the basis of subjective feelings that cannot be easily articulated. From that perspective, the sentence is correct. I don't think it is necessary to engage in shadow boxing to harvest the real meaning of what looks like an ambiguous sentence: He is married with three children. He is qualified with an adjective lsquo;marriedrsquo; and has three children, most likely sired by him. There is no question of his marrying three children.

However, the sentence can be misleading if one does not know the context. In today's era of non-traditional families, it is possible that he is married to someone of the same sex and the three children are from his partner's previous relationship. Therefore, it is important to ensure accuracy in communication, which can be achieved by stating, ldquo;He and his wife Barbara are the parents of three children.rdquo;

English and Omission of the Obvious

English, especially spoken English, tends to leave out the obvious. Historically, at least, if you are married, it is to a person of the opposite sex. You do not need to say this so we do not. Does your marriage have children? Well, this is substantive information so it gets said. However, in the case of a man being married to another man, it is often necessary to clarify this because it is not what the listener would assume.

Contextual Communication in Sentences

We do this all the time. For instance, I left the car in the drive. The car engine is running. Many languages would repeat the word lsquo;carrsquo; but not English. Understanding the context is key to avoiding ambiguity.

Usage of the Phrase With Children

The normal way of saying that someone has married a minor or underage person is not with childrenrsquo; but to children. However, in the case of the sitcom Married With Children, it can be translated as:

Casados con hijos in some South American countries and in Spain Matrimonio con hijos in Spain Mariés deux enfants in France Casado... com Filhos in Portugal Женаты... с детьми in Russia

Thus, the original English phrase can be translated unchanged in some cases. However, in others, a little retouching may be necessary to avoid any misinterpretation. In most parts of the world, being married to children is a crime, so the accuracy in such translations is crucial.