Hi!
Given:
"The springtime of their life is far from over."
and
"The springtime of their lives is far from over."
whichever would you say is the correct sentence? I am aware that since "their" conveys a plural idea, the use of "lives" would appear more logic. But still I am not 100% convinced as "their life" could take the meaning of a group of people sharing the same experience together... Also, for me "their life" tends to sound better.
Can someone help by giving me an official grammar rule which could clear this?
I've done a lot of web search, but there was no straight answer.
Thanks!
Given:
"The springtime of their life is far from over."
and
"The springtime of their lives is far from over."
whichever would you say is the correct sentence? I am aware that since "their" conveys a plural idea, the use of "lives" would appear more logic. But still I am not 100% convinced as "their life" could take the meaning of a group of people sharing the same experience together... Also, for me "their life" tends to sound better.
Can someone help by giving me an official grammar rule which could clear this?
I've done a lot of web search, but there was no straight answer.
Thanks!
1 2
Comments
The grammatical issue is whether or not you are speaking of a single shared life or the lives of multiple people not sharing the same life. Your analysis of this is correct.
Thanks for the 2nd reply! So the rule points towards the plural but does this mean that the use of "their life" is absolutely grammatically wrong and hence cannot be used at all?
For instance, you might say, "The prisoners described their life in prison as being intolerable." This usage would describe a group of people having the same experience. (Of course, you could avoid the issue by saying, "The prisoners described life in prison as intolerable."
It's similar to the usage wherein you would say, "The committee was unanimous in its vote to retain the current structure." That indicates the committee, although a group of people, is voting in one voice.
Or, you could say, if circumstances warrant, "The committee were at odds over the issue." That would indicate that the members of the committee weren't in agreement.
Got it! Unusual but acceptable, depending on context. [Y]