I wonder which of the two is correct:
- I have a red and a blue car.
- I have a red and a blue cars.
or
- Everyone has a left and a right arms.
- Everyone has a left and a right arm.
My (non-native) inclination would be for option 1, as it sounds better.
On the other hand, in the following examples, the plural sounds better to me.
- Everyone has left and right arms.
- I have old and new cars. (when I only have only one old car and one new car)
- The left and the right arms are…
But are they correct?
Best Answer
"A" is singular: You can't use "cars" and "arms." "A red car and a blue car" and "a left arm and a right arm" indicate two cars and two arms. "Red and blue cars" and "left and right arms" have indeterminate numbers.