Discussion:
A pair of twins
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o***@gmail.com
2006-11-21 14:27:03 UTC
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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
Jeffrey Turner
2006-11-21 14:38:35 UTC
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Post by o***@gmail.com
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
--
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
Peter
2006-11-21 15:03:54 UTC
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Post by o***@gmail.com
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-
TOF
2006-11-21 16:11:16 UTC
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Post by Peter
Post by o***@gmail.com
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.
Or a set of quads (possibly)

TOF
dontbother
2006-11-21 15:40:30 UTC
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Post by o***@gmail.com
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.
--
Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor
Native speaker of American English; posting from Taiwan.
Unmunged email: /at/easypeasy.com
"Impatience is the mother of misery."
Adrian Bailey
2006-11-21 20:40:46 UTC
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Post by o***@gmail.com
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
Brad Germolene
2006-11-21 20:52:35 UTC
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Post by Adrian Bailey
Post by o***@gmail.com
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?
--
Brad Germolene
Mark Brader
2006-11-22 00:15:48 UTC
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Post by Adrian Bailey
Post by o***@gmail.com
Is it correct to refer to two twin siblings as "a pair of twins"?
Yes.
Post by Adrian Bailey
No.
Huh? Of course it is.
Post by Adrian Bailey
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.
--
Mark Brader | "Don't get me wrong, perl is an OK operating system,
Toronto | but it lacks a lightweight scripting language."
***@vex.net | -- Walter Dnes
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