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Eeelearner Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Singular or plural?
Hello,
when describing two different things and combining the adjectives, should the noun be plural or singular?
e.g.
The American and Italian barkeeper.
or
The American and Italian barkeepers.
i.e. there are only two barkeepers in total, an American and an Italian one.
Thanks.
when describing two different things and combining the adjectives, should the noun be plural or singular?
e.g.
The American and Italian barkeeper.
or
The American and Italian barkeepers.
i.e. there are only two barkeepers in total, an American and an Italian one.
Thanks.
Top answer
Eeelearner . e. there are ...
- Eeelearner .
- e.
- there are ...
- two barkeepers in total, an American and an Italian one.
- Thanks.
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4 Answers
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Eeelearner. i.e. there are ... two barkeepers in total, an American and an Italian one. Thanks.I think this gives you the answer to your question. Two barkeepers.
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So when writing it that way it is inherently ambiguous whether one is talking about one each or several of each kind?
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Eeelearnerit is inherently ambiguousYes. The American and Italian barkeepers may refer to two barkeepers or to thousands. That's how plurals work; they mean more than one, but they don't specify how many.
CJ
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