American, singular in ripped silk (7)
I believe the answer is:
tussore
'silk' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'american singular in ripped' is the wordplay.
'american' becomes 'US' (abbreviation for United States).
'singular' becomes 's' (abbreviation in grammar).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'ripped' becomes 'tore' (I've seen this in another clue).
'us'+'s'='uss'
'uss' placed into 'tore' is 'TUSSORE'.
(Other definitions for tussore that I've seen before include "fabric" , "Strong Indian silk" , "silk dress" , "Rough silk" .)