Question posted by GlorJuani Hateh on my Facebook Messenger page (November 22, 2018):Hi, Sir. I was reading this news on Yahoo about a teacher who was shot in front of her students. There was this part that I really could not understand: "She
is survived by her three children and her husband who is currently working abroad." (
"Soldier runs amok, kills teacher-lover in front of students in Bulacan")
Please enlighten me. Thank you.
My reply to GlorJuani Hateh:When someone passes away, polite society refers to his or her immediate family members or significant others--maybe a live-in partner, fiance or fiancee, or anyone intimately close to the deceased--as his or her "survivors." This is why in a typical news report or obituary, the one who has died is said to be "survived" by those he or she has euphemistically "left behind."
