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Barf_mollywood Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
This shirt / these shorts
ok, so by far the best question i have ever been presented in all my time teaching - which came from an eight year old girl - was this
"if you say these are trousers and these are shorts, then why not say these are shirts or these are jumpers?"
being astute, the student had recognised the fact that a shirt has two arms (sleeves) as trousers have two legs but, one is singular and the other; plural
my response was of course the same as always "screw english, lets all speak spanish!"
"if you say these are trousers and these are shorts, then why not say these are shirts or these are jumpers?"
being astute, the student had recognised the fact that a shirt has two arms (sleeves) as trousers have two legs but, one is singular and the other; plural
my response was of course the same as always "screw english, lets all speak spanish!"
Top answer
Hi, It's great to have students who think,isn't it? I believe that trousers were originally in the form of two separate leg-bindings, hence the traditional use of the plural. This was not the case wth shirts.
- Hi, It's great to have students who think,isn't it?
- I believe that trousers were originally in the form of two separate leg-bindings, hence the traditional use of the plural.
- This was not the case wth shirts.
- Clive
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3 Answers
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Hi,
It's great to have students who think,isn't it?
I believe that trousers were originally in the form of two separate leg-bindings, hence the traditional use of the plural.
This was not the case wth shirts.
Clive
It's great to have students who think,isn't it?
I believe that trousers were originally in the form of two separate leg-bindings, hence the traditional use of the plural.
This was not the case wth shirts.
Clive
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thank you for your response clive.
i had also thought along those lines, with respect to them being made from separate pieces of material. i stopped my thought train as i soon realised that, apart from '****-tubes', all upper body garments are made from two or more pieces of material and thus countering what i was prompted to spill out at this wide eyed girl
i guess tha
i had also thought along those lines, with respect to them being made from separate pieces of material. i stopped my thought train as i soon realised that, apart from '****-tubes', all upper body garments are made from two or more pieces of material and thus countering what i was prompted to spill out at this wide eyed girl
i guess tha
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Isn't it interesting to see what things do and don't evolve in a spoken language? It has been centuries since pants were two separate leg bindings, but the plural has hung in there for pants, while many other things in the language have changed and adapted during that time period. Language is endlessly fascinating.
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