1 = single 2 = couple 3 = little 4 = some 5 = handle 6 = group 7 = multiple 8-50 = many 51 – 100 = lots 101-200 = horde 201 – 500 = Legion 501+ = myriads There is a presumption that a promise made by two or more persons is joint and several explicit words are therefore necessary to engage liability “jointly and severally”. A review of the intent of the parties and the language used in the contract will determine whether the presumption can be rebutted. The pair is 2, one pair is 3 to 6, several is 7 up. That is absolutely correct. If a couple were synonymous with two, it would be an empty word, the purpose of encompassing more than 2 (unless you`re talking about two things that are always related, like 2 people in a close relationship). Of course, the right answer to these questions is always (i) it depends on where you are, as local customs are different, and (ii) context is also important. But I think these words are not synonymous with 2 and 3 and a little more than 3, these are domains that are used to intentionally introduce some uncertainty, either because the speaker does not know the exact number, or because he wants to maintain some flexibility or ambiguity. And the reason we have these debates about “one couple,” “some,” and “many” is because we don`t all agree on exactly where the domains are, in our own use or in the general use around us. For example, a subscriber who has jointly and severally agreed to be liable for the sale of a 30% interest in a new issue must sell 30% of the remaining unsold portion. Each union member is responsible for all remaining shares in proportion to the size of each share.
In my studies to teach English as a second language, we were asked to explain these terms as follows: one pair is 2, one pair is 3 or 4, several are 5 or 6 and many are more than that. As the word individually indicates, the wording of some contractual arrangements may indicate that some parties are proportionately liable. For example, a partner with a 10% stake in a company may have a liability proportional to that investment of 10%. Perhaps the father described what he meant when he said, “I`ll be home in a few minutes.” This means that he will be home in 3-26 minutes, but not in a full half hour. 🙂 Pure multiple liability makes defendants liable only for damages for which they are actually liable. For example, if a jury found defendant A 60% and defendant B 40% liable for $100,000 in damages, the plaintiff could only recover $40,000 from defendant B, even if defendant A could not pay anything. The use I`ve always known is that a pair is probably 2 but could possibly be 3, a pair is probably 3 but could possibly be 4. The argument I`ve always heard is that if 2 and only two were meant with absolute certainty, the word “couple” or “two” would have been used. There is a right of recovery between jointly and severally and jointly and severally debtors. If a party has paid more than its fair share of a debt, it may recover the excess equally from the others, unless otherwise agreed.
If a party pays only its share of a debt and no more, there is no current right to contributions. In order to understand “joint and several liability”, it is necessary to understand the terms underlying the full legal concept. If two or more parties are held liable for the same liability, they shall be designated as jointly and severally liable, jointly and severally liable. Contractual and joint liability means that one or more parties jointly undertake to share certain responsibilities and/or to share the same liability separately. The legal term can be confusing; However, the term is used to clarify the responsibility that each person shares in a contract. The term essentially describes that each party named in the legally binding document or agreement is required to perform the conditions, actions and obligations set out in the agreement. For example, if a bank lends $100,000 to two people jointly and individually, both people are also responsible for ensuring that the full amount of the loan is returned to the bank. If the loan defaults, the bank may choose to continue repaying the entire outstanding balance. Leave it to English to have several words that all mean the same thing as a few, but no less than a pair.