Craig,
You're right that, with plural subjects, ambiguity can result from a plural
object, but it can just as easily result from a singular object: "The club
members contributed a dollar."
The usual solution is to make both subject and object singular: "Each
member contributed a dollar." Of course, that doesn't work if the subjects
are named or numbered. "Sixteen Armenians won gold medals" does not make it
clear whether or not they won one apiece. When disambiguation is needed, a
common practice is to use a singular object along with "each" or "apiece,"
as in "Sixteen Armenians each won a gold medal" or "...won one gold medal
apiece."
I have no problem with your Laurel and Hardy example, since it was a joint
performance. When talking about separate events, however, a singular object
doesn't work for me: "Napoleon and Hitler suffered their greatest defeat
while invading Russia."
Dick
On Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 9:34 AM, Hancock, Craig G <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> Dick,
> I would probably make the same editing suggestions for your first two
> examples, though they might also have slipped on by. Your third and fourth
> examples seem OK (and somewhat familiar).
> But suppose we have these contrasts: "All members brought their
> dollar." "All members brought their dollars." If each member brought a
> single dollar, it would seem to me that the first example would make that
> clearer.
> To me, meaning nuance would be the justification. "Laurel and Hardy
> gave their greatest performance in July." Though Laurel and Hardy are
> plural, you may want to make clear that it was only a single performance.
> If you had a hard and fast rule, you would constrain a careful writer.
>
> Craig
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [
> [log in to unmask]] on behalf of Dick Veit [[log in to unmask]]
> *Sent:* Sunday, December 18, 2011 9:02 PM
>
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> *Subject:* Re: plural possessive with singular noun
>
> Craig,
>
> I don't think I could say, "Three people committed their life to public
> service" or "Four soldiers lost their life in an ambush," and as an editor
> or writing teacher, I would change these to the plural. But your defense
> causes me to consider that this usage may be gaining acceptance. I suppose
> I have encountered expressions like "Twenty-three Americans won a gold
> medal in kayaking over the years" and "Five of my coworkers were out with a
> cold this week." I'm not there yet, however.
>
> Dick
>
> On Sun, Dec 18, 2011 at 10:22 AM, Hancock, Craig G <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
>
>> Dick's choices are thoughtful and probably the best. But I think
>> you could defend the choices. Each of these people is committing a single
>> life. They are not committing each other's lives. And the gender is mixed,
>> so "his" won't fit and "his or her" is awkward.
>> "The political forces that led the three Musketeers to commit their
>> lives..." If the choice was a team choice and a team commitment, the plural
>> would be even more appropriate.
>> Is this a hard and fast "rule" or is the writer able to construct a
>> more nuanced meaning by choosing the singular? In the publshed form,I think
>> it emphasizes that each committed a singular life. The "their" is an
>> alternative to "his or her."
>>
>> Craig
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [
>> [log in to unmask]] on behalf of Dick Veit [[log in to unmask]]
>> *Sent:* Sunday, December 18, 2011 9:42 AM
>> *To:* [log in to unmask]
>> *Subject:* Re: plural possessive with singular noun
>>
>> Martha,
>>
>> In both sentences "their" is clearly plural, and I would certainly change
>> the nouns to "lives" and "minds." Perhaps the writers were confused by the
>> increasing popularity of singular "their," as in "Anyone is free to do what
>> they want to with their own life." The usefulness of singular "their" in
>> avoiding an unwanted specification of gender has made it so widespread that
>> it has become standard, although not without protest from a traditionalist
>> rearguard.
>>
>> In the two sentences you cite, however, "their" is indisputably plural.
>>
>> Dick
>>
>> On Sun, Dec 18, 2011 at 9:26 AM, Martha Galphin <
>> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> ATEG listserv members:
>>>
>>>
>>> Please comment for me on the juxtaposition of the plural “their” with
>>> the singular “life” and the singular “mind” in the following two sentences.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> “the religious sources that inspired Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, and
>>> Mother Teresa to commit their life to serving a hurting humanity. . .” from
>>> http://www.religioustolerance.org/statbelief.htm.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> “A majority of Republicans in key primary states said in a poll this
>>> week that they still may change their mind.”
>>>
>>> From the First Read Blog on December 10, 2011.
>>>
>>>
>>> Thank you.
>>>
>>>
>>> Martha Galphin
>>>
>>> ESL teacher
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>>>
>>
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>
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