Plural/Singular Subject/Object Agreement

Question

Donald Trump's (in)famous quote "Grab 'em by the pussy".

As an English learner, I'm confused, why not "pussies".

"Them" is plural, so their pussies should be plural too.

Couldn't you come up with a less unpleasant example? – BillJ Jul 05 '18 at 06:52 — BillJ, Jul 05 '18 at 06:52

score -2 · Accepted Answer · edited Jul 05 '18 at 02:55

-2

It is correct to be singular; for example:

Grab them by their jersey.

since each player only has one (usually).

The same is:

Pat them on the back.

not:

Pat them on the backs.

Whereas:

Kick them in the knees.

is plural since each player has two knees (shins).

edited Jul 05 '18 at 02:55

J.R.

answered Jul 05 '18 at 02:39

Peter

1 Answers1