singular/plural

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Taka

#436381 Mon, 29 Oct 07 01:37 PM

(1) When you write a letter, you have to be careful about your writing style. Remember, the reader is always different.

(2) When you write a letter, you have to be careful about your writing style. Remember, the readers are always different.

I think it's mostly #1 but I'm wondering if #2 is also acceptable.

Do you native speakers think #2 is also possible?

Taka

Joined on Tue, Sep 7 2004

Japan

Senior Member (2,266)

Writing styles

Cryptogram

#436384 Mon, 29 Oct 07 01:43 PM

Both sound fine and are grammatical. What is ambiguous though is "different from what?".

Cryptogram

Joined on Sun, Oct 7 2007

New Member (11)

Taka

#436431 Mon, 29 Oct 07 04:18 PM

Cryptogram wrote:
What is ambiguous though is "different from what?".

Right. The entire text is something like this:

You don't have to worry about your writing style when you write in your diary, because you write it to yourself; nobody else would read it. However, when you write a letter to someone, you have to be careful about your style; you have to change your style depending on the kind of person you write to. Remember; the reader is someone else, not you.

I'm wondering if 'the reader' can be the plural or not.

Taka

Plurals, Writing styles

Grammar Geek

#436445 Mon, 29 Oct 07 05:17 PM

I would leave it as singular. At any one time, any one letter has only one reader (usually, unless you're looking over my shoulder). If you used "the readers are" it sounds like you have intended your letter to be read by many people.

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (15,591)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Marius Hancu

#436458 Mon, 29 Oct 07 05:39 PM

Taka wrote:

Right. The entire text is something like this:

You don't have to worry about your writing style when you write in your diary, because you write it to yourself; nobody else would read it. However, when you write a letter to someone, you have to be careful about your style; you have to change your style depending on the kind of person you write to. Remember; the reader is someone else, not you.

I'm wondering if 'the reader' can be the plural or not.

Not in this case, where you individualize/personalize the writing depending on the kind of person you write to, IMO.

Marius Hancu

Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006

Montreal, Canada

Veteran Member (11,673)

Plurals, Writing styles

Taka

#436461 Mon, 29 Oct 07 05:47 PM

Grammar Geek wrote:
I would leave it as singular. At any one time, any one letter has only one reader (usually, unless you're looking over my shoulder).

GG,

Right. But at the same time, in your life you must have written more than one letter and you have written, and you will write, to various kinds of people. So I thought the plural might be possible.

Taka

Grammar, Plurals

Grammar Geek

#436473 Mon, 29 Oct 07 06:24 PM

Possible, yes.

But I prefer the singular because most letters are to one person at a time.

Grammar Geek

Bokeh

#436561 Mon, 29 Oct 07 10:13 PM

You are tied to the singular because you have used someone. Since someone and the reader are one and the same and someone can only be singular the verb (and the reader) should be singular also.

Bokeh