[Grammar] their + singular or plural?

[Heidi]

Dear friends,

Nouns, like face, head, body etc, after words your, our or their, should be singular or plural? Is there a general rule about it? Thank you!

(in class teacher asks students) Did you wash your face this morning?

Most people would rather have a runny nose than suffer the embarrassment of wearing rolls of tissues on their heads.

 

[jlinger]

I think I would prefer the ending, "... of wearing a roll of tissue on their head."

This may be wrong, but it's consistent. And consistency rules, in my book. You certainly wouldn't want to say "most people would prefer to have runny noses" -- or would you? I

I think it's a generalization (based on many people's views) on what ONE person would prefer. It is as if you had said, "Many people would say, 'I would prefer to have a runny nose ....' "

What do others think?

 

[Heidi]

I think it's a generalization (based on many people's views) on what ONE person would prefer.

Thank you for your reply, jlinger.

In the following text, there is a sentence that goes "I'll be walking around with hats with toilet paper hanging from them". Is it better to use 'hat' instead of 'hats'? Because I think one person only has one head.:?:

And, if possible, would you please modify some of the following sentences to make them more like something we would write, not speak? Especially that one(...with hats with toilet paper...) with two 'withs'?. Thank you!

"It's good to remember that, like the first motor car, people looked at it and said 'horses are perfectly fine, why do you need a car?' or the first time people talked on their telephone(with no s?), someone might say 'I can just write a letter, telephone's not that great'. But, of course, nowadays, it's something we can't live without. So, who knows, maybe someday in the future, I'll be walking around with hats with toilet paper hanging from them, so it'll be convenient when I have to blow my nose."