Each in a question

[Atari pitfall]

What would be the ideal way to ask questions using each?

Here I got some present perfect questions, but am not sure if they are grammatically correct.

• "Have/has you each bought the boarding passes together?"
• "Have/has you bought each of the boarding passes together?"
• "Have/has each of you bought the boarding passes together?"

1- Assuming that EACH is singular, should the auxiliary verb "have" be singular?
2- Is there anything wrong with using "together" at the end of these sentences?
3- Are they idiomatic?

Thanks everyone.

 

[5jj]

1. The subject of the verb is you, not each. The verb is have.
2. Together makes no sense.
3. They are not idiomatic.

They might be natural as "Have you all brought your boarding passes?"

 

[Atari pitfall]

Thank you for answering, @5jj.

1 - How can I distinguish whether or not "each" is the subject of the sentence?

2 - Why?

3 - Can I use "Have all of you brought your boarding passes?"

4 - Why "Brought " and not "bought "?

 

[jutfrank]

1 - How can I distinguish whether or not "each" is the subject of the sentence?

You're asking a question so you need inversion of the auxiliary (Have) and the subject (you). Obviously, you is the subject of the verb bring.

2 - Why?

Because we don't know what you mean.

3 - Can I use "Have all of you brought your boarding passes?"

Yes, that's okay.

4 - Why "Brought " and not "bought "?

Don't confuse the verbs bring and buy. If you buy something, it means you pay money for it. You can't buy a boarding pass.

To be honest, I'm not sure I understand what your question means. Can you tell us in more words what you mean to ask? Who is speaking, and to whom?

 

[Barque]

Perhaps you're confusing 'ticket' and 'boarding pass'.

You buy a ticket to travel on a plane. When you check in, you get a boarding pass. You don't buy a boarding pass. Not unless you're a hijacker.

Have you brought...? = Did you bring … ?

Have you bought...? = Did you buy … ?

 

[Tarheel]

The word "Why?" doesn't work as a sentence unless it's obvious what you are responding to.

 

[Atari pitfall]

You buy a ticket to travel on a plane. When you check in, you get a boarding pass. You don't buy a boarding pass. Not unless you're a hijacker.

In my country, we are used to saying that you buy a boarding card.
Maybe it's a matter of regionalism, ahahha.

Can you tell us in more words what you mean to ask?

I really don't know what I can add to this question. I just wanted to know how to use "each" with the present perfect tense.

E.G.:

Have each of you brought your boarding passes?

 

[jutfrank]

Follow each with a singular countable noun, and then use a verb that agrees. It doesn't matter which tense you use.

Each person has a boarding card.
Each person has been issued with a boarding card.

You can also use each of you as a singular noun phrase:

Each of you has a boarding card.

 

[Atari pitfall]

Alright. Thank you, jutfrank.

Each of you has a boarding card.

I have no problem with affirmative statements, but I have serious difficulties with questions, ahaha.

What about:

Has each of you brought your own boarding pass? - This one sounds pretty fine to me. What do you think?

 

[Tarheel]

What about:

Has each of you brought your own boarding pass?

Delete "own" there and it's OK.

 

[Atari pitfall]

Thanks, Tarheel.

But what is specifically wrong with "own"?

 

[Tarheel]

Thanks, Tarheel.

But what is specifically wrong with "own"?

Nobody would say that. They give you the boarding pass at the airport. There is no reason somebody might have somebody else's boarding pass. Thus "Do you have your boarding pass!" is more than sufficient.

 

[Atari pitfall]

There is no reason somebody might have somebody else's boarding pass.

That makes a lot of sense to me, haha. You're a gem, Tarheel.
Thank you very much.

 

[5jj]

It is not natural in English to scatter ahahas around your writing.

 

[Atari pitfall]

Thank you for warning me, 5jj.

 

[jutfrank]

What about:

Has each of you brought your own boarding pass? - This one sounds pretty fine to me. What do you think?

As post #2 says, it's more natural to ask:

Have you all brought your boarding passes?

 

[Barque]

Atari pitfall, "each" is used to specify every single one in a group, generally speaking. It can overlap with "all" sometimes, but not always.

They put all of us in a room = All of us were in the same room.
They put each of us in a room = We all had separate rooms, one room to one person.

 

[Rover_KE]

Atari pitfall, I see you posted the same thread here.

Please don't post the same question to different forums simultaneously. Post on one forum only, wait for responses and then, only if you are disappointed with/confused by the responses (or there aren't any), post on another forum and include a link to the first forum thread.

(emsr2d2)