ENGLISH
REFERENCE

call after

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to give a child the same name as someone else, usually a family member or a famous person.

phr. v.. to bestow a name upon a person, typically a newborn, in honour of a predecessor or relative; transitive and inseparable in this sense.


SIMPLE

They decided to call the baby after his grandfather.

CONTEXTUAL

Since her mother was a famous scientist, she was called after her in hopes she would follow the same path.

COMPLEX

It remains a longstanding tradition in many cultures to call the firstborn son after his paternal grandfather to preserve the family lineage.

Particles
after
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
call + object + after + object
Usage

usually used in the passive voice ('be called after') or with a direct object ('call him after').

Teaching tip

contrast with the American English preference 'name after'; 'call after' is more common in British English but both are widely understood.

Pitfall

He was called after of his uncle.He was called after his uncle.the preposition 'after' directly follows the verb and precedes the object; do not add 'of'.

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