Should I use 'cards' or 'a card'? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
"Are there any <plural noun>" vs. "is there any <singular noun>"
My question is on whether you should use nice cards or a nice card. All these sentences are written on the assumption that he sends one card to each of his friends at each event. (It is quite normal, isn’t it?) They say it should be cards, with [1] and [2].
- He always sends me nice cards.
- He always sends me nice cards at Christmas.
- He always sends each of his friends a nice card/ nice cards.
- He always sends each of his friends a nice card at Christmas.
Do the last two sentences still have to use cards?
(1) and (2) are both fine. It's a trivial matter of style which you use.
In (3) and (4) there might be a slight tendency to use the plural, but it would be pedantic to either criticise the singular, or to assume it meant he sent copies of the same card to everyone.
In passing I'll just note that to my ear, the least natural aspect of (3) and (4) is the use of each of. I think most people would say all (or possibly all of, but I don't like that quite so much).
LATER Having noted that @Jacob Eggers thinks my answer suggests you "need to use the plural" in certain cases, I will just clarify that I find all these variants perfectly acceptable...
He always sends me nice cards at Christmas.
He always sends me a nice card at Christmas.
He always sends all his friends nice cards at Christmas.
He always sends all his friends a nice card at Christmas.
For anyone who feels that last one might be slightly "iffy", consider...
- He always gives all his friends a warm welcome, whether they visit alone or in a group.
For [2] I like "He always sends me a nice card at Christmas." Since I'm assuming he only sends you one card at Christmas.
And likewise for [3] and [4] I prefer "a nice card". Since I'm assuming he only sent one to each friend.
Note: If you were to say "...all of his friends..." as @FumbleFingers suggested, you would need to use the plural "nice cards"