Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[azz]

a. He bought the red or blue notebooks.
(He bought both the red and the blue notebooks)

Is a is correct?

b. He bought red or blue notebooks.
c. He bought red and blue notebooks.

Is there a difference between b and c?

It seems to me that one would not use b if one were speaking of one occasion in which he bought both red and blue notebooks.

[bud]

Hi Azz,

a. The sentence with "or" means he bought notebooks of only one color. The speaker does not specify which color was chosen.

b. Only one of those colors was purchased.

c. Both colors were purchased.

b. is not the same as c.

Your understanding is correct.