Do you have a cite for this? My bluegrass-playing buddies would love to know.
Ok, that was funny.
mmm
I read somewhere that the plural of a computer mouse is mouses. I don’t know if that is actually true, but I like it.
Another relevant anecdote: Movie producer Sam Goldwyn needed a pair of mongooses for a film. He didn’t know how to ask for them, plural-wise, so he just said, “Get me a mongoose. And while you’re at it, get me another one.”
mmm
I (as a computer programmer) got a very nice charity solicitation letter from the Salvation Army one Christmas that started…
Which ironclad did you get that off of?
I like it too, but there’s some disagreement over that. It is true that it’s common for words with an irregular plural to take a regular plural when used in a figurative sense - for example an insect has two antennae but my wireless router has two antennas.
…but the reception was incredible!
Or someone is demanding to see your hallway pass.
There is a language that many engineers and technical writers use called “Simplified Technical English”. The reason for this version of English is precisely because it is a tricky language, therefore it’s incredibly confusing for those who speak it as a second or third language. In STE, a language of about 30,000 words, one word has only a single meaning. It can only mean that specific definition. It was created by NASA and is used by air traffic controllers around the world, rather than rely on colloquial English to prevent confusion and mid-air collisions.
We write technical manuals with it, so that someone in Manila, Chennai, or Nairobi can read the English manual and assemble or repair a piece of equipment and all three get the same results. Once we learn the language, it can be very difficult for our friends and loved ones to get along with us because we are always insisting that they aren’t saying things correctly.:rolleyes: Job hazard.
Interesting. Is there a grammar/punctuation guide to go with that?
30,000 words? That is far too many.
Grammar yes, punctuation no. Actually, we usually follow a specified style guide at each company for grammar and punctuation. It can vary wildly from company to company.
I agree with you for the most part. I like the KISS principle. However, depending on the industry there are very specific terms for very specific items that you would not want to get mixed up. Imagine the differences that exist between a heart pump and the Mars rover. Now, keep in mind that one word has one meaning only. Extrapolate from there.
[Hesitates Because The Warning Was Heard, But Wasn’t Understood]
“Uh, hot-hot, or spicy-hot?”
Your note was in italics AND below your “mmm”, my brain took it as a sig.
And you missed in your research that they *weren’t *originally spelled differently.
So you knew the answer, and knew neither word was actually English, so why have this frigging thread, and especially that thread title?
Sure. Definition 3c
Like I said, you did not read the OP carefully.
This I did not know. Not sure what that has to do with my topic, though.
I knew how the mandoline got its name. What I’m puzzled about is why they didn’t name it a schmertzer.
Also, read the OP once more. Hint: it’s not about mandolins. It’s about the English language.
On second thought, please do not read the OP again. Thanks.
mmm
Similarly if a verb is used in a different-from-original context and has an irregular participle, the new usage should revert to a regular formation.
Example: “The baseball player flied out to third.” not “The baseball player flew out to third.”
As for the computer mouse/mouses/mice, there doesn’t appear to be an iron-clad rule. To me “mouses” sounds better.
Example: “In the computer lab, there are several mouses that are not working.” sounds more proper than “…there are several mice that are not working”.
Wait, it’s not “mousen”?
And today I learned something. I knew that there was a kitchen tool called a “mandolin(e)”, but I had assumed that it was the thing that you use to slice a hard-boiled egg. Because, you know, that thing has a bunch of parallel strings.
And don’t get me started on “thong”.
Rodentia.