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Klavier Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
railing - railings
Hello.
In which contexts do you use the plural and singular versions of this word?
In which contexts do you use the plural and singular versions of this word?
Top answer
I don't think I use the plural at all. Grab hold of the railing so you don't fall. CJ
- I don't think I use the plural at all.
- Grab hold of the railing so you don't fall.
- CJ
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7 Answers
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I don't think I use the plural at all.
Grab hold of the railing so you don't fall.
CJ
Grab hold of the railing so you don't fall.
CJ
00
railing
noun [C usually plural]
a vertical, usually metal or wooden post, which is used together with other such posts to form a fence:
Tourists pressed their faces against the palace railings.
(from dictionary.cambridge.org)
So, this British issue again,
noun [C usually plural]
a vertical, usually metal or wooden post, which is used together with other such posts to form a fence:
Tourists pressed their faces against the palace railings.
(from dictionary.cambridge.org)
So, this British issue again,
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Strange. I hadn't thought of a fence as railings. I accept that sentence, but as my illustration shows, I think of a railing as something to hold on to when using stairs. I wonder if the British use the plural even in the case of stairs.
CJ
CJ
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We use both versions, the one fixed to the wall to steady you on stairs (railing) and a type of fence (railings). Railings are usually metal.
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I'd call it a railing if it were about waist-height. If it were taller, it would be "a fence." I think of railings at things that keep you from falling, but fences to keep you from entering. Or leaving, I guess, if you're in jail.
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