Is it common to use "a garment"

[Winwin2011]

Clothing cannot be used as countables to refer to a single item. Is it common to use "a garment" when we refer to a single item? Are there any other equilavent words we can use?

Thanks.

 

[5jj]

If we are talking about a single item of clothing, we normally say what it is a shirt, a pair of trousers, etc.

 

[Tdol]

I mostly hear the word used in the phrase garment factory.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Clothing cannot be used as countables to refer to a single item. Is it common to use "a garment" when we refer to a single item? Are there any other equilavent words we can use?

Thanks.

There is nothing wrong with using "garment" to refer to an item of clothing. This is particularly true when the type of clothing item is unknown.

 

[Raymott]

There is nothing wrong with using "garment" to refer to an item of clothing. This is particularly true when the type of clothing item is unknown.

That doesn't make it common, which it what the OP was asking.
Mum: "Tommy, pick up your garment!" - You won't hear it, Winwin.

 

[MikeNewYork]

That doesn't make it common, which it what the OP was asking.
Mum: "Tommy, pick up your garment!" - You won't hear it, Winwin.

I believe that it is.

The OP was asking for a countable singular substitute for "'clothes".

Please hang your garments in the closets.
Please leave your garments in the lockers.
You cannot return garments to this store if they have been worn.

Garment = 132,000,000 Google hits.

 

[Raymott]

I believe that it is.

The OP was asking for a countable singular substitute for "'clothes".

Please hang your garments in the closets.
Please leave your garments in the lockers.
You cannot return garments to this store if they have been worn.

Garment = 132,000,000 Google hits.

I don't doubt your stats, but none of your examples use 'garment' in the singular. Take off the 's', and then tell me they're common, if you can.
Note: The OP was asking about a single garment, not a grammatically singular term for a garment. - "Is it common to use "a garment" when we refer to a single item?"

 

[SoothingDave]

I gotta go with Raymott here. As far as I am concerned "garment" is a remnant found in the term "garment bag" for a type of suitcase. I would not expect to ever hear "garment" in normal everyday conversation.

Or "rend your garments" as a type of penitence.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I don't doubt your stats, but none of your examples use 'garment' in the singular. Take off the 's', and then tell me they're common, if you can.
Note: The OP was asking about a single garment, not a grammatically singular term for a garment. - "Is it common to use "a garment" when we refer to a single item?"

I don't have time to sort the 132,000,000 garment hits, but, yes, the word is common. Not in your context with a mother and her son, but that is not a general rule.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I gotta go with Raymott here. As far as I am concerned "garment" is a remnant found in the term "garment bag" for a type of suitcase. I would not expect to ever hear "garment" in normal everyday conversation.

Or "rend your garments" as a type of penitence.

Some sample sentences here: Use garment in a sentence | garment sentence examples

 

[Raymott]

I don't have time to sort the 132,000,000 garment hits, but, yes, the word is common. Not in your context with a mother and her son, but that is not a general rule.

Of course, no one would expect you to. A brief look at Google suggests that most of those 'garment' examples form compounds, like "garment care" and "garment steamer", "garment sale". I would never claim that singular "garment" was an uncommon word, only that it's not common in general use (as opposed to, say, trade use) when referring to a single item of clothing.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Of course, no one would expect you to. A brief look at Google suggests that most of those 'garment' examples form compounds, like "garment care" and "garment steamer", "garment sale". I would never claim that singular "garment" was an uncommon word, only that it's not common in general use (as opposed to, say, trade use) when referring to a single item of clothing.

I understand, but the question was not about a particular use. There are many trade uses, but there are also many other uses. When one is looking for a singular word for an unspecified item of clothing, there are few other alternatives.

 

[Rover_KE]

When one is looking for a singular word for an unspecified item of clothing, there are few other alternatives.

A little English girl found an alternative in a delightful true story which always makes me smile.

A mum woke her two daughters and told them to put their clothes on and come down to breakfast. A little later the older child came down and said 'I've put all my clothes on, mummy, but Beccy's only put one clo on.'

('Clothes' is usually pronounced 'close'.)

 

[5jj]

When one is looking for a singular word for an unspecified item of clothing, there are few other alternatives.

There are no alternative single singular words that I can think of of, but that does not mean that we commonly use 'garment'. If we have to use a singular expression, we use something such as 'item of clothing.'. As far as I am concerned, the answer to the original question is 'No'. It seems that most native speakers responding agree.

 

[MikeNewYork]

There are no alternative single singular words that I can think of of, but that does not mean that we commonly use 'garment'. If we have to use a singular expression, we use something such as 'item of clothing.'. As far as I am concerned, the answer to the original question is 'No'. It seems that most native speakers responding agree.

I appreciate the opinions of the several native speakers who don't feel the word is common. Yet, it is difficult for me to ignore over 100,000,000 Google hits.

 

[5jj]

I appreciate the opinions of the several native speakers who don't feel the word is common. Yet, it is difficult for me to ignore over 100,000,000 Google hits.

As a couple of people have pointed out, many of these hits are for such expressions as 'garment factory' and 'garment bag', not 'a garment'. In any case, we cannot rely on Google numbers alone for proof of acceptability, as we frequently warn members..

I have just had these hits:

I ain't done it - 65,700,00
You ain't done it - 1,340,000
He ain't done it - 13, 600,00
She ain't done it - 9,610,00
We ain't done it, 13,700,00
They ain't done it - 8,240,000

Despite these apparently impressive figures, these expressions are incorrect in all standard versions of English.

If you tell me that "Tommy, pick up your garment!" is natural in your idiolect, then I must accept this. It is unnatural in my idiolect and, I am pretty sure, in most varieties of English.

 

[Raymott]

I appreciate the opinions of the several native speakers who don't feel the word is common. Yet, it is difficult for me to ignore over 100,000,000 Google hits.

If that's your only argument, I've already pointed out the fallacy by indicating that, from a sample, most of those hits are part of compound nouns and are not the use of 'garment' for a single item of clothing (See post #11). Whether the word 'garment' is common or not is not, and never has been, at issue.
If you want to start a new thread asking whether 'garment' is a common word in English, I'll agree with you.
If you want to start a thread asking the difference between i) whether 'garment is a common word, and ii) whether 'garment' is commonly used for a single item of clothing, I can explain that again too.
If you want to know how X can get 100,000,000 Google hits and yet not be used commonly to mean Y, I can also explain that.

 

[MikeNewYork]

If that's your only argument, I've already pointed out the fallacy by indicating that, from a sample, most of those hits are part of compound nouns and are not the use of 'garment' for a single item of clothing (See post #11). Whether the word 'garment' is common or not is not, and never has been, at issue.
If you want to start a new thread asking whether 'garment' is a common word in English, I'll agree with you.
If you want to start a thread asking the difference between i) whether 'garment is a common word, and ii) whether 'garment' is commonly used for a single item of clothing, I can explain that again too.
If you want to know how X can get 100,000,000 Google hits and yet not be used commonly to mean Y, I can also explain that.

I would love to hear that argument.

 

[Raymott]

I would love to hear that argument.

Sure, which one? I'd rather let the thread die a natural death.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Sure, which one? I'd rather let the thread die a natural death.

I agree. This issue is probably not worth all these pixels. ;-)