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Hernandez
Using both
Hi, there
When you say "I am wearing both a black and (a) white armband", do you mean that you are wearing one armband that is black and white or two armbands, one black and one white?
........And if you say "I have both a black and (a) Mexican parent", does that mean you have one black parent and one Mexican parent or does it mean that you have a parent who is both black and Mexican?
Thank you
Sep 17, 2019 2:00 AM
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Answers · 5
So this one is tricky. If you said "I'm wearing a black and white armband" I will understand that you have One armband. Because you said "I'm wearing Both a....." I'll understand that you are wearing Two armbands: one black, one white. However "I'm wearing a black and a white armband" sounds natural.
When it comes to people, especially a set of parents. You don't use Both in this way because the assumption is that you're talking about two people. Here Both should emphasize something special or specific, such as "My parents are -both- Mexican and Black".
September 17, 2019
In both sentences, the second "a" (the one you have in parentheses) is required. In "a black and a white" and "a black and a Mexican," the sentences mean you are talking about two armbands/parents.
Best wishes with your studies.
September 17, 2019
