Had It Burst

Hi, Ahmad,

@ahmad posted:

1. My cousin had an internal cyst that burst yesterday.
2. My cousin who had an internal cyst had it burst yesterday.
3. My cousin with an internal cyst had it burst yesterday.

All three sentences are fine. In (1), the speaker might have only one cousin. In (2) and (3), it is clear that he/she has more than one cousin, one of whom had an internal cyst.

Also, in (1) it is clear that the cyst burst spontaneously, without any human intervention. In (2) and (3), it might be the case that the speaker's cousin had somebody burst the cyst for him/her.

@ahmad posted:

1. My cousin had an internal cyst that burst yesterday.
2. My cousin who had an internal cyst had it burst yesterday.
3. My cousin with an internal cyst had it burst yesterday.

Are the above sentences acceptable?

Hello, Ahmad. Welcome back. I agree with Gustavo's answer. Assuming it isn't important to you to indicate grammatically, with restrictive modification, that you have more than one cousin, I recommend:

4. My cousin had an internal cyst burst yesterday.

That sentence would not naturally be interpreted as indicating that the speaker has only one cousin, nor as indicating that s/he had a doctor burst the cyst for him/her. It is naturally interpreted as indicating that s/he already had a cyst.

Regarding (2), which I find very awkward, it is considered grammatically questionable to modify a possessive noun phrase with a restrictive relative clause. If the restrictive relative clause is important to you, I recommend:

2a. The cousin of mine who had an internal cyst had it burst yesterday.

Thanks a lot, sirs.