Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

Marrion · Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Posts: 303 Location: KOREA

[1] Three couples of books are in the room.
[2] Three couple of books are in the room.

[3] Two pairs of trousers are in the drawers.
[4] Two pair of trousers are in the drawers.

[5] There are five heads of oxen.
[6] There are five head of oxen.

In each sentence, which one is correct grammartically?

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Mister Micawber · Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 774 Location: Yokohama

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#1 and 2 are non-native constructs.

#3 and 4 are both OK.

only #6 is correct (head is the singular and plural form).
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"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
...............
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CP · Joined: 12 Jun 2006 Posts: 2875 Location: California

If sentences 1 and 2 came from a textbook, I would worry a little about the book. Neither sentence is correct.

"A couple of books" means two books (or maybe three, if you're just guessing), and while you can have a couple of books, you never hear about more than one couple of books. If you have two couples of books, you have four or five books, and that would be a few books or several books or a handful of books. But it wouldn't be two couples of books.

So I would hate to have to choose between sentence 1 and sentence 2 on a test.

When you are speaking about people, you can also say a couple: A couple of people left as soon as the movie started. But a couple is also is a pair of sweethearts or spouses, so you can have more than one couple when it is used that way. John and Mary threw a party, and they invited six couples and ten singles, or 22 people in all.
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Marrion · Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Posts: 303 Location: KOREA

Thank you for answering my questions.. I am sorry but I still have a question.

[1] There are four couple of hounds.
[2] There are four couples of hounds.

Which one is correct?(Are these sentences still incorrect?)

Mister Micawber · Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 774 Location: Yokohama

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These are no different than your book sentences, Marrion-- do you not see that? The construct, as I said, is non-native, and as CP said, neither is correct.
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_________________
"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
...............
Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's

Marrion · Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Posts: 303 Location: KOREA

Now, I got it perfectly.

Thank you for your answers.
Smile

^0^//