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Taka Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

singular/plural

(1) When you write a letter, you have to be careful about your writing style. Remember, the reader is always different.

(2) When you write a letter, you have to be careful about your writing style. Remember, the readers are always different.

I think it's mostly #1 but I'm wondering if #2 is also acceptable.

Do you native speakers think #2 is also possible?
  

Top answer

Both sound fine and are grammatical. What is ambiguous though is " different from what? ".

— Cryptogram

  • Both sound fine and are grammatical.
  • What is ambiguous though is " different from what?
  • ".
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18 Answers
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Both sound fine and are grammatical. What is ambiguous though is "different from what?".
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CryptogramWhat is ambiguous though is "different from what?".
Right. The entire text is something like this:

You don't have to worry about your writing style when you write in your diary, because you write it to yourself; nobody else would read it. However, when you write a letter to someone, you have to be careful about your style; you have
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I would leave it as singular. At any one time, any one letter has only one reader (usually, unless you're looking over my shoulder). If you used "the readers are" it sounds like you have intended your letter to be read by many people.
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TakaRight. The entire text is something like this:

You don't have to worry about your writing style when you write in your diary, because you write it to yourself; nobody else would read it. However, when you write a letter to someone, you have to be careful about your style; you have to change your style depending on the kind of person you write to. Reme
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Grammar GeekI would leave it as singular. At any one time, any one letter has only one reader (usually, unless you're looking over my shoulder).

GG,

Right. But at the same time, in your life you must have written more than one letter and you have written, and you will write, to various kinds of people. So I thought the plural might be possi
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Possible, yes.

But I prefer the singular because most letters are to one person at a time.
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You are tied to the singular because you have used someone. Since someone and the reader are one and the same and someone can only be singular the verb (and the reader) should be singular also.
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Grammar GeekBut I prefer the singular because most letters are to one person at a time.
I see.

Now, getting back to the sentence I posted first:

Remember, the reader is always different.

does it sound OK in that text above?
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In isolation? As a stand-alone sentence, it sounds like it's missing something - different from what? or from whom?
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Grammar GeekIn isolation?
Not in isolation. In this text:

You don't have to worry about your writing style when you write in your diary, because you write it to yourself; nobody else would read it. However, when you write a letter to someone, you have to be careful about your style; you have to change your style depending on the kind of person
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