A pair of twins

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

olijwhite@gmail.com - 21 Nov 2006 14:27 GMT

Is it correct to refer to two twin siblings as "a pair of twins"? Or
would a pair of twins number four people?

TIA,

Oliver White

Reply to this Message

Jeffrey Turner - 21 Nov 2006 14:38 GMT

> Is it correct to refer to two twin siblings as "a pair of twins"? Or
> would a pair of twins number four people?

A pair is two, a twin is singular. A pair of twins is two people.

--Jeff

Signature

Whenever morality is based on theology,
whenever right is made dependent on
divine authority, the most immoral,
unjust, infamous things can be
justified and established. --Ludwig Feuerbach

Reply to this Message

Peter - 21 Nov 2006 15:03 GMT

> Is it correct to refer to two twin siblings as "a pair of twins"? Or
> would a pair of twins number four people?
>
> TIA,
>
> Oliver White

Four people is two pairs of twins.

-Peter-

Reply to this Message

TOF - 21 Nov 2006 16:11 GMT

> > Is it correct to refer to two twin siblings as "a pair of twins"? Or
> > would a pair of twins number four people?
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Four people is two pairs of twins.

Or a set of quads (possibly)

TOF

Reply to this Message

dontbother - 21 Nov 2006 15:40 GMT

> Is it correct to refer to two twin siblings as "a pair of
> twins"? Or would a pair of twins number four people?

Forget the math. When someone tells you they have twins, you know
automatically that they have two children. If they have have four
children and all are twins, then they have two sets of twins, not two
pairs of twins. Shoes and undershorts come in pairs; twins come in
sets.

"A pair of twins" sounds like a description crafted for the
numerically and logically challenged. It is a hideous term.

Signature

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor
Native speaker of American English; posting from Taiwan.
Unmunged email: /at/easypeasy.com
"Impatience is the mother of misery."

Reply to this Message

Adrian Bailey - 21 Nov 2006 20:40 GMT

> Is it correct to refer to two twin siblings as "a pair of twins"?

No. It's correct to refer to them as "twins".

Adrian

Reply to this Message

Brad Germolene - 21 Nov 2006 20:52 GMT

>> Is it correct to refer to two twin siblings as "a pair of twins"?
>
>No. It's correct to refer to them as "twins".

My first reaction was to agree, but then it struck me that a
kindergarten teacher might quite reasonably say "in my class I've got
a few quiet ones, a couple of criers, one regular tantrum-thrower and
a pair of tearaway twins" -- just "...and tearaway twins" would sound
a bit peculiar there, wouldn't it?

Signature

Brad Germolene

Reply to this Message

Mark Brader - 22 Nov 2006 00:15 GMT

Oliver White:

> > Is it correct to refer to two twin siblings as "a pair of twins"?

Yes.

Adrian Bailey:

> No.

Huh? Of course it is.

> It's correct to refer to them as "twins".

True, but then you lose the implication that they are a pair. Linda
Hamilton and Jill Hennessy are twins, but they're not a pair of twins.

Signature

Mark Brader | "Don't get me wrong, perl is an OK operating system,
Toronto | but it lacks a lightweight scripting language."
msb@vex.net | -- Walter Dnes

Reply to this Message

Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006

A pair of twins