fluidity
Member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2014
- Member Type
- Retired Academic
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- United States
- Current Location
- United States
Calling All English Mavens!
I recently enjoyed visiting a "Brainteasers" website and added one of my own of which I do not have the answer to. Hope you can help! Here it goes - You have 2 pens and you give me 1. If I then ask you "How many PENS do you have?" most people will say "1". Is this response correct? Should you say "1 PEN" or "I have 1 PEN". I asked "How many PENS (plural) do you have? It's grammatically incorrect (I think) for me to say "How many PEN (singular) do you have?" knowing you have only 1 PEN. Is the confusion in how the questioned is asked or how it is answered?
I can think of many other examples such as this.
How do the singular/plural English rules apply here?
Thanks!
I recently enjoyed visiting a "Brainteasers" website and added one of my own of which I do not have the answer to. Hope you can help! Here it goes - You have 2 pens and you give me 1. If I then ask you "How many PENS do you have?" most people will say "1". Is this response correct? Should you say "1 PEN" or "I have 1 PEN". I asked "How many PENS (plural) do you have? It's grammatically incorrect (I think) for me to say "How many PEN (singular) do you have?" knowing you have only 1 PEN. Is the confusion in how the questioned is asked or how it is answered?
I can think of many other examples such as this.
How do the singular/plural English rules apply here?
Thanks!