question about maternity...:-)

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JCDenton

#514155 Thu, 15 May 08 08:04 PM

Hi EF guys,

Please, can you explain me the underlined text? Woman is explaining to her boss, how she planned hers maternity leave...

I'll take three days off before the baby's due, two weeks after, then I'll take half days
and-and full days whenever I can to kind of make up my six weeks' maternity leave.

I got stuck here...:-(((...This time I don't even have a tip...:-(((

Many thanks in advance..

JCDenton

Joined on Tue, Jul 3 2007

Europe

Full Member (449)

Madhulk

#514160 Thu, 15 May 08 08:29 PM

JCDenton
Hi EF guys,

Please, can you explain me the underlined text? Woman is explaining to her boss, how she planned hers maternity leave...

I'll take three days off before the baby's due, two weeks after, then I'll take half days
and-and full days whenever I can to kind of make up my six weeks' maternity leave.

I got stuck here...:-(((...This time I don't even have a tip...:-(((

Many thanks in advance..

OK straight from the last line:

...whenever I can to compensate for my six weeks maternity leave.

I think the expression kind of got you all confused, right?

Madhulk

Joined on Mon, Dec 17 2007

Bulgaria

Contributing Member (1,003)

THE MAN OF STEEL

Expressions

Tanit

#514161 Thu, 15 May 08 08:30 PM

She's entitled to a six-week leave (42 days), but she has only planned to take 3 days of that leave before the birth of the baby, and another 14 (= two weeks) soon afterwards, so that makes 17 days.
She has not made any definite plan for the remaining 25 (42 - 17) days, so she can take those days (either full- or half-days) off whenever she can.

If what bothers you is the meaning of make up, here's the definition that fits in this sentence:
make sth up (COMPLETE) phrasal verb [ M ]
    to make an amount of something complete or correct:
    I have £20 000 and I need £25 000 but my parents have promised to make up the difference
   (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=48316&dict=CALD)

Tanit

Joined on Mon, Jul 31 2006

In the middle of the Mediterranean Sea

Contributing Member (1,956)

A man can do only what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day. (A. Schweitzer)

JCDenton

#514169 Thu, 15 May 08 08:57 PM

Thank you guys to both of you!

I know what kind of means as well as make up (this has a lot of meanings) , but I didn't get the point of the underlined text....

Anyway I got a feeling that she said:

..then I'll take half days and-and full days whenever I can to fill up the freetime during the rest of my six weeks maternity leave.

What confused me was the part "whenever I can". I though that it's binded to the underlined part, but it's not.

After I read your posts, I figured it out...:-)

thank you...

regards

JCDenton

Regards

Grammar Geek

#514172 Thu, 15 May 08 09:07 PM

Is this from real life? I'd be shocked if a company agreed to that.

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (15,282)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Tanit

#514185 Thu, 15 May 08 09:52 PM

Grammar Geek
Is this from real life? I'd be shocked if a company agreed to that.

Me too. We have a 5-month compulsory maternity leave. It's usually 2 months before the birth and 3 after (sometimes, it's 1 + 4), and it cannot be split into separate parts, for instance by taking single days off. But, maybe in some other parts of the world this would be fine...

Tanit

Grammar