student asking question

Would it be too awkward to say "passing" instead of "death"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

It would sound a little bit strange here to say "passing" instead of "death". This is because "passing" sounds a little bit formal and weird in this context. "Passing" is normally used when talking about a specific death, however he is speaking about "death" generally here and so it would be weird to use "passing". Ex: Their mother's passing was very hard on their family. Ex: They don't like to talk about his passing.

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