I come here in need of some clarification. Currently I am an ALT over in Japan and although I am a native English-speaker, I'm not particularly knowledgeable on the subject. Today, my Japanese English teacher asked me what demonstrative pronoun should be used after "a pair of..." It or they?
For example: I bought a new pair of sneakers. [It is/They are] brown. I had a pair of blue gloves but my dog ate [it/them].
Obviously "they are" and "them"sounds more natural, but I can't really explain why it goes from singular to plural.
Am I the only one who prefers "these pair of sneakers" over "this pair of sneakers"? I'm thinking reading youtube comments and facebook statuses has led my grammar down to the wayside.
Grammar nazis and English enthusiasts, please enlighten me.
For example: I bought a new pair of sneakers. [It is/They are] brown. I had a pair of blue gloves but my dog ate [it/them].
Obviously "they are" and "them"sounds more natural, but I can't really explain why it goes from singular to plural.
Am I the only one who prefers "these pair of sneakers" over "this pair of sneakers"? I'm thinking reading youtube comments and facebook statuses has led my grammar down to the wayside.
Grammar nazis and English enthusiasts, please enlighten me.