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Jeans' 'trousers', 'shorts' and 'pants' are always in the plural in English ? Yes or No

User Coffeejunk
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2 Answers

4 votes

Answer: yes

Step-by-step explanation:

in english you would never say "i bought a new pair of jean" or "I spilled something on my new pant"

this is just the way it is, not sure why its like this

User Jeff Barger
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8.0k points
5 votes

Final answer:

Words like 'jeans', 'trousers', 'shorts', and 'pants' are plural in English and typically require plural verbs. However, when referred to as a single unit with 'a pair of,' a singular verb is used.

Step-by-step explanation:

The words 'jeans', 'trousers', 'shorts', and 'pants' are usually plural in English. This is because these items are made up of two parts that form a pair. When referring to these items of clothing, we typically use a plural verb.

For example, we say 'The jeans are on the chair' or 'My shorts are too tight.' Despite being plural in form, when speaking about a pair as a single unit or when using a modifier like 'a pair of,' the verb can be singular, such as in 'A pair of trousers is in the closet.' It is important to pay attention to subject-verb agreement in English sentences to ensure grammatical correctness.