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?

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

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.'

Good point, Dr Russ. I missed that completely!

To determine the correct grammatical tense to use when referring to a deceased person's nationality, we need to consider a few factors. Generally, when discussing individuals who have passed away, it is appropriate to use the past tense.

In the case of nationality, it is common to use the past tense when referring to the deceased person. This is because nationality is a characteristic that remains constant throughout a person's life. Even if the person has passed away, their nationality does not change.

Therefore, it would be grammatically correct to say, "My late grandmother was a Briton." By using the past tense "was," you are indicating that her nationality is a fact that existed during her lifetime.

It is important to note that the use of the present tense ("is") can also be acceptable in some situations. For example, if you are discussing the legacy of your late grandmother or emphasizing her connection to a specific nationality in a current context, using the present tense can be appropriate. However, generally speaking, the past tense is more commonly used in these cases.

In summary, both "My late grandmother was a Briton" and "My late grandmother is a Briton" could be correct, depending on the context, but using the past tense ("was") is more conventional when referring to a deceased person's nationality.