Poll: How do you say someone is not Alive?

[Raven's Nest]

Usually depends on how soon the death was and to an extent the cause of death... A few examples (true ones)...

My nan died two years ago - Nan passed away a few years ago.

My great-grandad died 15 years ago - My great-grandad died 15 years ago.

My friend was murdered 2 years ago - She died 2 years ago.

My friend committed suicide 2 years ago - He died 2 years ago.

Guy in my old army unit died serving in Afghan last year - He was killed last year.

I have no problems saying that all these people have died, but I might change the word depending on who I was talking to and the context of the conversation.


EDIT

The funniest phrasing i've seen comes from Johnny Vegas in Sex lives of the potato men.

A mother and friend of Johnny Vegas's, asks JV to break the news to her 8 year old son that her husband and the boy's father has died in a car crash...

JV: "Hi Tommy"

Tommy: *Looks up smiling*

JV: "Remember how your Dad used to be alive?"

Tommy: *smile fades and nods head*

JV: "Well... He's not anymore..."

Tommy: *Stares and begins to cry*

JV: "Do you want an Ice Cream?

Tommy: *Nods wiping the tears on his face*


That was comedy gold, check out the film if you like proper British black humour...

 

[Ohhi]

to me if a person dies they die there is no distinction between passing away and dieing they are the same thing to me when someone dies is not a sad day but a happy one it means they never have to deal with the hell we call the earth they get an escape the distinction between one of my family members dieing and someone I don't know, dieing is nothing I have never cried at the funerals that I have been to not even my great grandmother's whom I loved very much as I watched them put her into the ground I felt nothing not a speck of sadness or despair to me it felt like nothing had happened even though I knew one of my family was dead. so yea there are my thoughts on it.

 

[Jonluw]

I normally say "dead".
I don't pay it much thought though. Maybe I'll try to say it in a more creative way in some contexts. I do not do that whole "passed away" thing to be more sensitive however. That's bullshit to me. People need to be able to handle the truth no matter how you word it, the truth is the truth, and saying "He left this world peacefully yesterday" shouldn't be any different from saying "He died yesterday". Bleh, people and their emphasis on the tone of words.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

I usually just say Died... Or something to that extent...

It's death, why sugarcoat it?

 

[brooklynlord]

Hmmm. I translate "not alive" as forgotten. Shakespear is dead, and his works survive, and he is alive in his works.... i think...

You know by that peticualar way he writes. And other stuff.
So i picked other.

 

[Haydyn]

Depends. In video games, it's dead. In real life, a person died, but I don't refer to them being dead. If I wanna joke around either in a video game or about something or someone the people I am talking to and myself didn't know on a personal level, I will say in a somewhat funny tone "They are with Jesus now."

 

[Yureina]

Depends on who it was, and how important they were to me. I tend to be more respectful towards those that I held dear, but for most I would just say "dead"

 

[Voidrunner]

To date I've only ever used dead as passed away seems more to refer to passing into another life , though I suppose I might use passed away if the situation was very emotional.

 

[Craorach]

Dead. Died. Death is part of life and shouldn't be feared, we raise our children and coddle them with the idea of heaven and people "going away" "just sleeping" etc... life is a cycle and they need to accept that from birth.