(1) "Our careers are turning to a new chapter."

Is sentence (1) grammatically correct?
How about the following:

(2) Our careers are turning to new chapters.
(3) Our careers are turning to a new chapter respectively.
(4) Our careers are turning to a respective new chapter.

Thanks.
Momo

This message has been edited. Last edited by: momo,

(1) works only those careers are synchronized/coupled for one reason or another, so that "chapter" can be considered as common. Say they enter the same class in school, or they are of the same age, etc.

Usually, people are individuals, thus I'd prefer (2) or:

(2a): Our careers are turning to new chapters respectively.

but the latter one may be seen as too formal.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Marius Hancu,

quote:

"Our careers are turning to a new chapter."

This sentence is fine. 'A new chapter' can refer to everyone's careers; it's a common phrase that means new and different things will be happening.

Since 'a new chapter' is a fixed phrase, it would probably retain its singular form even though it refers to many people. See this previous posting on the distributive plural:

http://thegrammarexchange.info...24&a=tpc&f=340600179
_______

(2) Our careers are turning to new chapters.
(3) Our careers are turning to a new chapter respectively.
(4) Our careers are turning to a respective new chapter.

The sentences above are not right.

In 2)'A new chapter' is preferable to 'new chapters,' as discussed.

In 3), you can't say 'respectively' unless you have individual subjects. So you could say, 'Each of us -- Bob, Tom, and Sara -- is turning to a new career: medicine, law, and business respectively.'

Sentence 4) doesn't work with 'respective.' It's OK as 'Our careers are turning to a new chapter.'

"to a new chapter"
is indeed more frequent than
"to new chapters"
however the last one shows up in books:

----
Chocolate for a teen's heart: unforgettable stories for young women about ...‎ - Page 179
by Kay Allenbaugh - Social Science - 2001 - 219 pages

I began to feel different from everyone else, since my friends were graduating, celebrating, and eager to move on to new chapters in their lives.
------
Become What You Are: Spiritual Formation According to the Sermon on the Mount‎ - Page 104
by William W. Klein - Religion - 2006 - 238 pages

Many people see easy divorce as a good thing; it allows people to escape from painful relationships and move on to new chapters in their lives.
-----

I'd the the interdependence/coupling between the people mentioned as the main deciding factor for the writer.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Marius Hancu,