Skip to main content

Infographic: Weird Plurals

The English language grows by pursuing other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and riffle their pockets for new vocabulary. It is ridiculously complex and contradictory, and nowhere is this more true than with the plural forms of nouns.

A sensible language may have two or perhaps 3 rules for plural forms, but English has at least seven different ways to make a noun plural (and I bet even now some mad linguist is inventing a new 8th plural form in a dank moonlit library somewhere).

The following infographic explains seven different rules for writing the plural form of a noun.

Is it complete? Do you think it missed one? Please leave a comment and let us know!

 

Similar Articles


Comments


Q4TD March 20, 2018 um 6:02 pm

Full quote:

“The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and riffle their pockets for new vocabulary.”

— James Nicoll

Nate Hoffelder March 20, 2018 um 9:29 pm

I linked to a full quote of Nicholl’s epigram.


Phyllis March 23, 2018 um 6:15 pm

"If two louses are lice, and two mouses are mice, would you say that a gal with two spouses had spice?"


Write a Comment