Is there a more formal way to say: great great grandfather (maternal grandmother

Question:Actually, it would be best if you could give me the whole family tree. After making a presentation about my family, I realized that at this age, its pretty sad how I don't know the family tree.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Actually, it would be best if you could give me the whole family tree. After making a presentation about my family, I realized that at this age, its pretty sad how I don't know the family tree.

It all depends on the specific information you are trying to present.

In the most common usage, great great grandfather is absolutely acceptable. This person WAS your great great grandfather.

If however, you were trying to present specific information about your entire family and were addressing a specific individual in this regards, adding "maternal" just provides more information about how this individual fits into your family tree (this is an ancestor on your mother's side of the tree). Usually, that is as far as most people go. Of course you could get obnoxious about it and identify this person as your maternal father's paternal mother's maternal father's father. But nobody would be able to follow that.

When more detailed specifications are used, it is almost always limited to "maternal" or "paternal" just to identify which line (your mother or father) this person is associated with.

But the order (from present to past)

Your parents are your parents (duhhh)
Their siblings are your aunts and uncles.

THEIR parents are your grand parents
Your grandparents siblings are your grand aunts/uncles.

THEIR parents are your great grand parents
Your great grandparents siblings are your great grand aunts/uncles.

Then just and another great for each subsequent generation.

Going from the present down....

You are "self"
Your siblings are sisters/brothers

Your children are your children or your sons and daughters.

Your sibling's children are your nieces and nephews (you are their aunt/uncle)

Your children's children are your grand children.
Your nieces/nephews children are your grand nieces/nephews.

Their children are your great grandchildren...again, just add a great for each subsequent generation.

No that is the correct way = my great, great grandfather on my mothers side of the family (maternal side), better than to say my mothers, mothers, mothers father.

We will sometimes say "second great grandfather" or "fifth great grandfather" instead of repeating "great". Some languages have different words for the maternal and paternal ancestors; English doesn't. You have to add m. or p. You can use a string of possessives; "My mother's father's father's mother's uncle was {Abraham Lincoln / Jesse James / Charles Darwin}"