Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2016 July 27

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July 27

English grammar question

Are both of the following grammatical? Number two sounds off to me, but I'm not a native speaker so I'm not sure about it.

1. "The dinner options are steak and fish. You may not like steak or fish, but those are your choices."

2. "The dinner options are steak and fish. You may not like steak or fish, but that's your choice."

Crudiv1 (talk) 04:27, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

They're both grammatical, but with slightly different emphases. Clarityfiend (talk) 05:01, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

In #1, choices refers to the options (steak and fish); in #2, choice refers to the act of selecting. Either can be correct. --2606:A000:4C0C:E200:FDA1:29DB:947:2B62 (talk) 06:46, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

Just to elaborate on the above, I understand #1 to mean that the selection is limited to the either steak or fish; there's no third option. #2 means that it's up to you to choose whether you prefer steak or fish. Note: I'm not a native speaker either. — Kpalion^(talk) 08:16, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

My English teacher would have gone with 2. She would always correct "You have two choices..." with "No, you have one choice. You have two options". -- Q Chris (talk) 12:23, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

Agreed. However, the whole structure strikes me as slightly unidiomatic. I can't imagine anyone actually speaking or writing like that. AlexTiefling (talk) 13:03, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

I would say that both of these are both grammatical and idiomatic. Neither is something a waiter is likely to say, but I can imagine such a remark occurring as two people are responding to an invitation to a wedding or banquet and must indicate an entrée selection. However, note that #2 is ambiguous, because the final clause can mean either "it is your choice not to like steak or fish" or "the choice you have is between steak and fish." John M Baker (talk) 14:35, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

Agree with John Baker, but the ambiguity of sentence two creates a jarring tone. Matt Deres (talk) 16:39, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

I don't know how it is in the States, but in Britain telephone switchboards are automated, and a female voice will probably say

Choose one of the following options.

Either one is grammatically OK, although if a waiter said it, I would say, "You forget the third choice: Getting up and leavin. See ya." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:31, 27 July 2016 (UTC)