The whole sentence is
Mr Boxell had deliberately sold the man a pair of shoes which were a size too small, knowing he would return them next day!
I'm so confused about which were a size too small, whether it is the correct order.
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Note, by the way, that a pair of X is normally plural. See english.stackexchange.com/q/31783 english.stackexchange.com/q/22461 english.stackexchange.com/q/7215. However, not that it’s Two pair doesn’t beat three of a kind.– tchrist ♦Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 13:38
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1Try which were too small by a (shoe) size. If it's still not clear, you could try asking on English Language Learners; there's nothing unusual in the wording.– Tim LymingtonCommented Jul 26, 2014 at 13:55
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@tchrist .......can had be removed from the sentence??– Gary's StudentCommented Jul 26, 2014 at 14:01
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@Gary'sStudent Probably not, but without context, no one can say for sure.– tchrist ♦Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 14:11
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@TimLymington Does 'by a size' mean by one step size?– TInaCommented Jul 28, 2014 at 7:18
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3 Answers
He is saying that the shoes were one size too small (e.g. were a size 10 instead of the size 11 that the customer required).
Your other example could also be used, but would have to be whose size was too small, but the wording in the original sentence is more correct.
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Whose represents the size belongs to the shoes, it's a weird little thing in English, in which a whose can also be used to describe the possession by a noun as well as a person. "Whose size was too small" indicates that the shoes possess a size that is too small. The first example I gave is much more common, and I would use it every time really.– ZenLogicCommented Jul 28, 2014 at 13:28
The usage of "which were a size too small" is correct in this sentence-
Mr Boxell had deliberately sold the man a pair of shoes which were a size too small, knowing he would return them next day!
"A" here indicates one size small.
If you take a look at this lifestyle blog, there is a similar usage of "a size too small"-
Ever go to the store and find a HOT pair of shoes on sale that are just half a size too small?
answered Jul 26, 2014 at 14:53
Nothing seems wrong with word order in 'Which were a size too small.' Substitute the word "one" for "a" to get implied meaning. The second choice which could be written as "which were too small" is less specific. How many sizes too small?
