In an expression compounded of "brother" and another substantive, the plural inflection is now confined to the second word, as "brother-officers," 1 "brother-heroes ";1 formerly it was given to "brother" also. A frequent question is, "What is the correct plural of Mr., Mrs., or Miss So-and-So?" Of "Mr. Brown" the usual plural is "the Messrs. Brown," of "Dr. Black" "the Drs. Black"; it is, however, correct to say, "There are two Mr. Browns," "There are two Dr. Blacks." Of "Mrs. Brown" but one plural is correct, "the Mrs. Browns." 66 The Misses Brown" and "the Miss Browns" are both in good use. Some nouns have but one form for both singular and plural: e.g. "deer," "grouse," "moose," "series," "sheep," "species," "swine." The singular form of many others is often used as a plural, even when there is a regularly inflected plural besides. Thus, the plural of "biscuit" is "biscuit" or "biscuits"; of "fish," "fish" or "fishes"; of "fowl," "fowl" or "fowls"; of "plover," "plover" or "plovers"; of "quail," "quail" or "quails"; of "snipe," "snipe" or or "snipes"; of "trout," "trout" or "trouts. Usually the singular form of such a noun refers to a collection, the plural in "s" to individuals or to different species. In some cases there are two plurals that differ in meaning: e.g. "brothers" (by birth), "brethren" (of a society); "dies" (for coining or stamping), "dice" (for play); "indexes" (in books), "indices" (in arithmetic and algebra, and in most general senses); "pennies" (separate coins), "pence" (a sum of money); "shots" (discharges), "shot" (balls). Take pains to learn peculiar plurals. 1 According to the Oxford English Dictionary, an expression compounded of "brother" and another substantive has the hyphen more frequently in the singular than in the plural; for in the plura! the attributive relation of "brother" to the second word "is sufficiently shown by the inflexion of the second word and [the] non-inflexion of brother." EXERCISE XVI Change the number of each noun within quotationmarks; make other changes if necessary : 1. Use one "spoonful" of mustard. 2. He acted in his "brother-in-law's" behalf. 3. That spare room may be kept for my horses and those of my "aide-de-camp." 4. His hopes may be cut off, for he is only "heir presumptive." 7. She buys a "tooth-brush" every month. 8. My uncle was a "Dutchman." 9. He was an "Ottoman" and a "Mussulman." 10. Have you faith in such a "talisman"? 11. He is, moreover, a stanch "churchman." 12. Shall I send up a "biscuit" with your tea? 13. We brought home a 66 moose and a "grouse." 14. The “attorney-general" should be consulted. 15. Lady Arabella was so kind as to let his little girl share the lessons of "Miss Gresham." 16. Then I saw for the first time a Portuguese "man-of-war." 17. What are the duties of a "lord-justice"? 18. A "court martial" will probably be held. 19. My brother is a "knight-templar." EXERCISE XVII Give the meaning of each sentence in the two forms suggested, with the expression in parenthesis and with that which precedes : 1. I have two handfuls (hands full) of gold-dust. 2. Two dice (dies) were found in the prisoner's pockets. 3. He was always kind to his brothers (brethren). 4. How many shot (shots) did you count? 5. He carried two pailfuls (pails full) of water up hill. 6. He gave the beggar six pennies (pence). 7. In this new algebra there are serious errors in the indexes (indices). Singular or Plural?-Nouns properly singular are some times treated as if they were plural, nouns properly plural as if they were singular. I He is a long way off. II He is a long ways off. The use of ways as a noun in the singular number is a fault that is not confined to the illiterate. 66 "News" was once, but is no longer, in good use as a plural noun; tidings seems to be still plural. "Means in the sense of "instrument" as "a means to an end," "by such means as these is sometimes singular, sometimes plural; in the sense of "income," as "His means are ample," it is always plural. "Pains" in the sense of "thoughtful effort" or "care,” as “The pains they had taken was very great," is usually singular; as the opposite of "pleasures," it is plural. 66 Some nouns are always plural: e.g. "billiards," "draughts," "quoits," "skittles," when they are used as the names of games; assets," "bellows," "bitters,' "cattle," "dregs," "eaves," "nuptials," "pincers,” “ " "proceeds," "riches," "scissors," "shambles," "shears," "suds," "thanks,"1 "tongs," "trousers," "tweezers," "vitals," "wages." "2 A few nouns are treated by some writers as singular, by others as plural: e.g. "headquarters," "measles," "mumps," "odds," ""odds," "whereabouts." Sometimes the number of a noun is determined by the meaning. "Alms," for example, is singular in the first of the following sentences, plural in the second: "Every alms is a fresh badge of slavery "3 (Kingsley), "Alms are but the vehicles of 1 The singular "thank” was formerly used: e.g. "If ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye?" (Luke vi. 33). 2 The singular" wage was formerly used, as “a mighty wage" (Drayton). Of late years it has been revived by some writers on political economy, especially in phrases like "a living wage" and in compounds like " wage-earners"; but the weight of authority, including that of political economists of high standing, is in favor of wages." 3 Quoted in the Oxford English Dictionary. prayer "1 (Dryden). "Politics" is singular in the first of the following sentences, plural in the second: "Politics" as a profession was therefore unknown to him" (Trollope), “Politics make a terrible demand on a man's time" (Trollope). "Statistics" is singular when it means the science which has to do with the collection and classification of facts, plural when it means those facts themselves. "Esthetics," "chromatics," "civics," "dynamics," "economics," "ethics," "mathematics," "phonetics," "statics," are more frequently singular than plural, because they are commonly used as the names of certain sciences or systems: e.g. "Ethics regards man as a free being"; "Mathematics embraces three departments." "Athletics," "calisthenics," "gymnastics," are more frequently plural than singular, because each is commonly understood to include several sports or exercises: e.g. "Track athletics are not too absorbing or too exacting to permit the steady pursuit of the main end of college life." In America, "inning" (in base-ball or cricket) is sometimes seen, but the usual form for both singular and plural is "innings": e.g. "There was only one innings." In Great Britain, "inning" is never used; "innings" serves as both singular and plural. "Links" (in golf), in the absence of a singular form, is treated sometimes as a singular, sometimes as a plural: e.g. "The new links in Roxburgh was opened to-day," "The Country Club links were crowded on Saturday afternoon." The following sentences exemplify an interesting distinction between the singular and the plural: "This twenty years have I been with thee," "For these two years hath the famine been in the land." 3 In the first sentence, the years spoken of are regarded as forming one unit or period; in the second, they are regarded sepa rately. 1 Quoted in the Oxford English Dictionary. 2 Genesis xxxi. 38. 8 Genesis xlv. 6. I He was in Europe during the twenty-second and the twentythird year [or the twenty-second and twenty-third years] of his life. II He was in Europe during the twenty-second and the twentythird years of his life. In "the twenty-second and the twenty-third," the repetition of the article before "twenty-third" shows that each year is thought of by itself; "year," not years, is therefore correct. In "the twenty-second and twentythird," the omission of the article before "twenty-third shows that the two years are thought of together; "years" is therefore correct. I The ingratitude of those whose hearts are set on one object led her to make light of what had been her great consolation. Sometimes men forget the world and reveal their inner selves. II The ingratitude of those whose heart is set on one object led her to make light of what had been her great consolation. Sometimes men forget the world and reveal their inner self. There must be as many "hearts" and "selves are persons. I She is the salt [or of the salt] of the earth. 66 as there II She is one of the salt of the earth. "of Since "salt" is not a plural, it is incorrect to speak of one of the salt." We may say either "the salt the salt" either the whole of it or a part. or "She is the salt of the earth" is, of course, the more complimentary expression. I This society is known as "The Women's Auxiliary of the Young Men's Christian Association." II This society is known as "The Woman's Auxiliary of the Young Men's Christian Association." "Women's" is preferable to Woman's; for the "Auxiliary" is composed, not of woman, but of women. A |