Their partner as distributive singular
Hello, everyone,
A few scientists from Duke University and University College London decided to find out what happens inside our brains when we lie. They put people into an fMRI machine and had them play a game where they lied to their partner. The first time people told a lie, the amygdala weighed in. It released chemicals that give us that familiar fear, that sinking sense of guilt we get when we lie. But then the researchers went one step further. They rewarded people for lying. They gave them a small monetary reward for deceiving their partner without them knowing they’d been lied to.
* source;
In the underlined part above I assume the writer intentionally chose ‘their partner’ instead of ‘their partners’ in the view of distributive singular, since he thought the relationship between the person who told a lie vs. their partner was one-to-one.
If we choose ‘their partners’ in the view of distributive plural, is it also acceptable grammatically, in case the relationship between the person who told a lie vs. their partner was one-to-one?
Would hope to hear your valuable opinions.
Top answer
deepcosmos If we choose ‘their partners’ in the view of distributive plural, is it also acceptable grammatically, in case the relationship between the person who told a lie vs. their partner was one-to-one? That sort of thing is a judgment call, not a grammatical one.
- deepcosmos If we choose ‘their partners’ in the view of distributive plural, is it also acceptable grammatically, in case the relationship between the person who told a lie vs.
- their partner was one-to-one?
- That sort of thing is a judgment call, not a grammatical one.
- Both ways are grammatically fine.
- In this case, I don't see much difference except that the singular is what is meant.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
deepcosmosIf we choose ‘their partners’ in the view of distributive plural, is it also acceptable grammatically, in case the relationship between the person who told a lie vs. their partner was one-to-one?
That sort of thing is a judgment call, not a grammatical one. Both ways are grammatically fine. In this case, I don't see much difference except that the
0
Related Questions