[Grammar] Plural after 'own'.

Hi, Teachers.

I doubt whether I should use a plural noun or a singular one when the word 'own' is used after the pronoun 'their' which, in fact, needs a plural noun when it is written without 'own'.
Could you help me get to know its rules better?


Note : please write your comments on how I use English to ask that question of you.


thank you...
Firdaus (a new learner)

"They carried their own boxes."

"They rode their own bicycles."

"The house owners swam in their own pools."

You can use the singular provided that they all have joint ownership or usage. So, you could say:

"The passengers rode in their own bus".

"The swimmers swam in their own pool."

Hi....
Thank you very much for the answer.
I do appreciate it.

fyrdhaus said:

I doubt whether I should use

Click to expand...

I wonder whether...
I would like to know whether...
I am uncertain whether...


"I doubt that he will come."
"I doubt that the meal will be nice."
"I doubt that she will wear a pink dress."
"I doubt that he will finish the race."

hi...
Thanks for your comment. :up:
I guess that What I wrote is correct because the word 'doubt' is normally used with clauses introduced by some conjunctions, one of them is 'whether'.

It all depends on the meaning that we want to convey with that word.

Y

References : Practical English Usage (Swan)
usingenglish.com