It is ears. (it is + plural?)
Hello, everyone! :)
I'll be happy if you can help me. Why do native speakers sometimes use "it is" when they talk about plural? Is there any rule connected with it?
E.g. I'm talking to a child, pointing at my ears and saying:
1) It is ears.
Can I say:
2) These are ears.
I often hear something like that, and can't understand the rule..
Thank you in advance! :)
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Answers · 15
2
There are some instances where you can use 'is' and a plural, such as 'The answer is ears'. This is because 'is' refers to the subject, which in this case is 'ears'. In this case, you could replace 'the answer' with 'it', so 'it is ears' would then be correct. Usually though, if it is in plural and is the subject, you would use the word 'are' as in 'These are ears'
2
When pointing at my ears, i would say:
These are (my) ears.
If pointing at one ear, I would say:
This is an/my ear.
If someone asks: what is that (pointing at your ear), then I would respond with, it is an ear.
Hope this helps.
2
I think this is an odd example: it's hard to imagine a native speaker saying "It is ear"..
There's lots of other cases where plural's get used as singular and vice versa. Yes, I did write those deliberately and no, I can't explain why it happens, but nobody learning English should try to do it.
1
It is ear and These are my ears both sentences are correct. for singular It is ear /it is my ear.
For Plural These are Ears/These are my ears.
1
If you are talking with a child, point at both of your ears and say: "It is ears," then you have said something that is grammatically incorrect. A native speaker would never say that.
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