Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[nawee]

Hello,

I have read somewhere that the answer below is incorrect.

A: What are your hobbies?
B: My hobby is collecting stamps.

The explanation is that you should give at least two hobbies to show that you understand the "s" in the question. So the answer should be:

My hobbies are collecting stamps and hiking.

I thought the explanation was a bit odd. What if B wants to name only one hobby or has only one hobby. I don't think the plural form in the question determine the number in the answer. I think the plural form in the question makes that question more general. That is, the singular form just exclude the possibility that the answer could be plural. Have I always misunderstood all this time?

Please help.

Nawee

[CP]

There is nothing wrong with B's answering A's question that way, if B has only one hobby. Otherwise, you would expect B to say, "My hobbies are collecting stamps and answering questions sarcastically." Something like that.

But if it is a test question, the test taker certainly would want to answer with more than one hobby, to show that he or she really understood that the question asked for more than one hobby.
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