Question

Is it grammtically correct to refer to a late person's nationaity in the pat tense e.g My late grandmother was a briton? Or should I say my late grandmother is a briton?

Answer 1

Use of the past tense is correct. Present tense indicates that she is still alive.

Answer 2

I hate to be pedantic, but Briton is an historic term for peoples that occupied the Btitish Isles a thousand or more years ago. The modern term is British. So you would say that 'my late grandmother was British.'

Answer 3

Good point, Dr Russ. I missed that completely!