Everyone left their house(s)...

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Kooyeen

#416352 Sun, 09 Sep 07 05:01 PM

Hi,
I've got a big problem. I know "someone", "anyone", etc. are singular, and everything is in the singular apart from "singular their". Example: "Someone left their scarf here." (not "scarfs", unless there is more than one)
But when there's "everyone", "everything", etc., is everything in the singular? Or are they seen as plural?
Example:
Everyone left their own home/homes.
Everybody is going to bring their wife/wifes along. At midnight they are going to get back to their home/homes.

Waht do natives do? Is it possible they use both the singular and the plural? Thanks Smile [:)]

Kooyeen

Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005

Italy

Senior Member (3,838)

If you don't have a sense of humor already, it's about time you buy one.

Plurals

Ant_222

#416378 Sun, 09 Sep 07 06:24 PM

I thinks it should be singular because: "every one".

Like: «Every citizen has left their house»

Ant_222

Joined on Sun, May 21 2006

Podolsk, Russia

Contributing Member (1,527)

Yoong Liat

#416401 Sun, 09 Sep 07 07:36 PM

Everyone left their own home/homes.
Everybody is going to bring their wife/~~wifes~~ wives along.

At midnight they are going to get back to their home/homes.

In modern English, everybody is used with their instead of his or her, or his/her.

Everyone left their own home/homes.
Everybody is going to bring their wife/~~wifes~~ wives along.

At midnight they are going to get back to their home/homes.

As for the nouns, I think either the singular or plural noun can be used.

Yoong Liat

Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006

Singapore

Veteran Member (5,863)

Yoong Liat

Nouns, Plurals

Kooyeen

#416418 Sun, 09 Sep 07 08:36 PM

Hi everyone,
thanks for the replies. I also searched the net, and I found this: http://www.bartelby.com/68/12/2312.html
Looks like the plural sounds better because of a kind of "notional agreement", but not always. I believe this is part of a bigger problem, a bigger question, that is "Singular or plural objects with plural subjects?" - And that's a difficult one, there's no grammar rule and no one is able to explain what to do...

So... Thanks again Smile [:)]

Kooyeen

Grammar, Plurals