Difference in nuance: plural vs singular

[gorikaz]

Dear native speakers,

Suppose that there are 100 students in front of you, and each student has a computer.

Q1. Under this circumstance, if the following are stated, what would each actually mean?

1. See there is a dot on your screen.
2. See there are dots on your screens.
3. See there is a dot on your screens.

Q2. If a dot (only one dot) is shown on each student's computer screen, which of the above three would be a correct sentence?

 

[Soup]

Dear gorikaz, it depends on how your is interpreted:

1. There is a dot on your screen. [singular] :tick:
=> viewing the students as invididuals

2. There are dots on your screens. :cross:
=> more than one dot

3. There is a dot on your screens. [plural] :tick:
=> viewing the students as a collective, each of whom has a screen; therefore, screens.

Hope that helps.