'They ride a bike.' vs 'They ride bikes.'
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'They ride a bike.' vs 'They ride bikes.'
I don't know the difference between these.
When each person rides a bike one by one, Can I use this sentence? >> 'They ride a bike.'
grammar grammatical-number difference-in-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
송화연송화연
61
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송화연 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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add a comment |
'They ride a bike.' vs 'They ride bikes.'
I don't know the difference between these.
When each person rides a bike one by one, Can I use this sentence? >> 'They ride a bike.'
grammar grammatical-number difference-in-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
송화연송화연
61
New contributor
송화연 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Well, what do you want it to mean? They ride their own bikes? They always ride different bikes? How often do they ride? Same question with we wear suits vs we wear a suit. This is not a full sentence yet, so we don't have enough information to decide -- They ride a bike every day, every one of them; no bus riders is just fine, since ride a bike is treated as an uninflectable action verb. On the other hand, They ride bikes because they don't have cars treats bikes as a parallel with cars.
– John Lawler
3 hours ago
well... I just thought these sentences are used in different cases, grammatical or contextual. This is the sentence I have. >> "They ride a bike every day." I was confused. Because I learned that if the subject is plural, the word after the verb is also plural.
– 송화연
2 hours ago
add a comment |
'They ride a bike.' vs 'They ride bikes.'
I don't know the difference between these.
When each person rides a bike one by one, Can I use this sentence? >> 'They ride a bike.'
grammar grammatical-number difference-in-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
송화연송화연
61
New contributor
송화연 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
'They ride a bike.' vs 'They ride bikes.'
I don't know the difference between these.
When each person rides a bike one by one, Can I use this sentence? >> 'They ride a bike.'
grammar grammatical-number difference-in-meaning
grammar grammatical-number difference-in-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
송화연송화연
61
New contributor
송화연 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
송화연송화연
61
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송화연 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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asked 3 hours ago
송화연송화연
61
New contributor
송화연 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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asked 3 hours ago
송화연송화연
61
asked 3 hours ago
송화연송화연
61
61
New contributor
송화연 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
송화연 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
송화연 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Well, what do you want it to mean? They ride their own bikes? They always ride different bikes? How often do they ride? Same question with we wear suits vs we wear a suit. This is not a full sentence yet, so we don't have enough information to decide -- They ride a bike every day, every one of them; no bus riders is just fine, since ride a bike is treated as an uninflectable action verb. On the other hand, They ride bikes because they don't have cars treats bikes as a parallel with cars.
– John Lawler
3 hours ago
well... I just thought these sentences are used in different cases, grammatical or contextual. This is the sentence I have. >> "They ride a bike every day." I was confused. Because I learned that if the subject is plural, the word after the verb is also plural.
– 송화연
2 hours ago
add a comment |
1
Well, what do you want it to mean? They ride their own bikes? They always ride different bikes? How often do they ride? Same question with we wear suits vs we wear a suit. This is not a full sentence yet, so we don't have enough information to decide -- They ride a bike every day, every one of them; no bus riders is just fine, since ride a bike is treated as an uninflectable action verb. On the other hand, They ride bikes because they don't have cars treats bikes as a parallel with cars.
– John Lawler
3 hours ago
well... I just thought these sentences are used in different cases, grammatical or contextual. This is the sentence I have. >> "They ride a bike every day." I was confused. Because I learned that if the subject is plural, the word after the verb is also plural.
– 송화연
2 hours ago
1
1
Well, what do you want it to mean? They ride their own bikes? They always ride different bikes? How often do they ride? Same question with we wear suits vs we wear a suit. This is not a full sentence yet, so we don't have enough information to decide -- They ride a bike every day, every one of them; no bus riders is just fine, since ride a bike is treated as an uninflectable action verb. On the other hand, They ride bikes because they don't have cars treats bikes as a parallel with cars.
– John Lawler
3 hours ago
Well, what do you want it to mean? They ride their own bikes? They always ride different bikes? How often do they ride? Same question with we wear suits vs we wear a suit. This is not a full sentence yet, so we don't have enough information to decide -- They ride a bike every day, every one of them; no bus riders is just fine, since ride a bike is treated as an uninflectable action verb. On the other hand, They ride bikes because they don't have cars treats bikes as a parallel with cars.
– John Lawler
3 hours ago
well... I just thought these sentences are used in different cases, grammatical or contextual. This is the sentence I have. >> "They ride a bike every day." I was confused. Because I learned that if the subject is plural, the word after the verb is also plural.
– 송화연
2 hours ago
well... I just thought these sentences are used in different cases, grammatical or contextual. This is the sentence I have. >> "They ride a bike every day." I was confused. Because I learned that if the subject is plural, the word after the verb is also plural.
– 송화연
2 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
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I disagree with the comment. Both are correct full and complete English sentences. They have a subject and a verb.
Well, the subject and the verb are clear enough. The direct object is then either a bike or bikes. If they share riding one bike (one at a time or at the same time), then the singular is correct, because there is only one bike. If there are multiple bikes that they ride, then the plural is correct.
answered 2 hours ago
McKayMcKay
24729
add a comment |
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I disagree with the comment. Both are correct full and complete English sentences. They have a subject and a verb.
Well, the subject and the verb are clear enough. The direct object is then either a bike or bikes. If they share riding one bike (one at a time or at the same time), then the singular is correct, because there is only one bike. If there are multiple bikes that they ride, then the plural is correct.
answered 2 hours ago
McKayMcKay
24729
add a comment |
I disagree with the comment. Both are correct full and complete English sentences. They have a subject and a verb.
Well, the subject and the verb are clear enough. The direct object is then either a bike or bikes. If they share riding one bike (one at a time or at the same time), then the singular is correct, because there is only one bike. If there are multiple bikes that they ride, then the plural is correct.
answered 2 hours ago
McKayMcKay
24729
add a comment |
I disagree with the comment. Both are correct full and complete English sentences. They have a subject and a verb.
Well, the subject and the verb are clear enough. The direct object is then either a bike or bikes. If they share riding one bike (one at a time or at the same time), then the singular is correct, because there is only one bike. If there are multiple bikes that they ride, then the plural is correct.
answered 2 hours ago
McKayMcKay
24729
I disagree with the comment. Both are correct full and complete English sentences. They have a subject and a verb.
Well, the subject and the verb are clear enough. The direct object is then either a bike or bikes. If they share riding one bike (one at a time or at the same time), then the singular is correct, because there is only one bike. If there are multiple bikes that they ride, then the plural is correct.
answered 2 hours ago
McKayMcKay
24729
answered 2 hours ago
McKayMcKay
24729
answered 2 hours ago
McKayMcKay
24729
answered 2 hours ago
McKayMcKay
24729
24729
add a comment |
add a comment |
송화연 is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
송화연 is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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1
Well, what do you want it to mean? They ride their own bikes? They always ride different bikes? How often do they ride? Same question with we wear suits vs we wear a suit. This is not a full sentence yet, so we don't have enough information to decide -- They ride a bike every day, every one of them; no bus riders is just fine, since ride a bike is treated as an uninflectable action verb. On the other hand, They ride bikes because they don't have cars treats bikes as a parallel with cars.
– John Lawler
3 hours ago
well... I just thought these sentences are used in different cases, grammatical or contextual. This is the sentence I have. >> "They ride a bike every day." I was confused. Because I learned that if the subject is plural, the word after the verb is also plural.
– 송화연
2 hours ago