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Nightstalker Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
your "orders" were to scourge him... Why plural?
When a person in authority commanded a few soldiers to whip somebody, he gave "an order" or "orders" to them? In Chinese, it should be one single order(given to a group). Then why people say "orders" in English? Please help me with this question, which I found in the movie "The Last Passion" directed by Mel Gibson.
Top answer
Orders are plural. I'm not sure why. If I order you to do something, you have received your orders.
- Orders are plural.
- I'm not sure why.
- If I order you to do something, you have received your orders.
- This is different, however, if you are in a restaurant.
- There, "an order" from one person is singular.
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4 Answers
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Orders are plural. I'm not sure why. If I order you to do something, you have received your orders.
This is different, however, if you are in a restaurant. There, "an order" from one person is singular.
This is different, however, if you are in a restaurant. There, "an order" from one person is singular.
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Grammar GeekOrders are plural. I'm not sure why. If I order you to do something, you have received your orders.I can say:
This is different, however, if you are in a restaurant. There, "an order" from one person is singular.
"Do it now! That's an order!2
What are you standing around for? I gave you an order!"
"I r
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That's true - but if you say "YOUR orders" it's always plural.
You would never say "Your order was the swab the deck" but "Your orders were to swab the deck."
Interesting - I never thought about it before. So it seems a possessive pronoun - my orders, your orders, his orders - from the perspective of the recipient is plural. But from the giver of the order, it can be singular.
You would never say "Your order was the swab the deck" but "Your orders were to swab the deck."
Interesting - I never thought about it before. So it seems a possessive pronoun - my orders, your orders, his orders - from the perspective of the recipient is plural. But from the giver of the order, it can be singular.
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I think the usage is just idiomatic. A similar example I can think of in Spanish is that vacation is always used in plural, even when referring to a single event.
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