kadioguy
Key Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2017
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- Taiwan
[From a TOEIC test]
Man: Tanya, when did we start selling these reusable grocery bags? Has it been two weeks? I want to see our customers using them to carry the groceries home from our store, but nobody is buying them.
Woman: Well, they are rather simple. They are in plain colors and only have the store's name on them.
Man: What can we do to make them more interesting?
Woman: Well, the store's name is on one side of the bag. What if we asked some local artists to design images to put on the other side?
Man: I like that. I'll get an ad in the local newspaper about this, asking any interested artists to contact us.
[Source]
----
1. Unlike the red text, which is in the plural, the blue text (the bag) is using the singular. Why? Can the following apply to this case?
[From the Practical English Usage 3rd 68.2]
generalisations with singular countable nouns
Sometimes we talk about things in general by using the with a singular countable noun.
Schools should concentrate more on the child and less on exams.
2. However, I think both forms (the bag and the bags) can be used in the case. What do you think?
Man: Tanya, when did we start selling these reusable grocery bags? Has it been two weeks? I want to see our customers using them to carry the groceries home from our store, but nobody is buying them.
Woman: Well, they are rather simple. They are in plain colors and only have the store's name on them.
Man: What can we do to make them more interesting?
Woman: Well, the store's name is on one side of the bag. What if we asked some local artists to design images to put on the other side?
Man: I like that. I'll get an ad in the local newspaper about this, asking any interested artists to contact us.
[Source]
----
1. Unlike the red text, which is in the plural, the blue text (the bag) is using the singular. Why? Can the following apply to this case?
[From the Practical English Usage 3rd 68.2]
generalisations with singular countable nouns
Sometimes we talk about things in general by using the with a singular countable noun.
Schools should concentrate more on the child and less on exams.
2. However, I think both forms (the bag and the bags) can be used in the case. What do you think?