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315 lines
9.8 KiB
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<title>Battling with English - part 4 (HPR Show 3525)</title>
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<h1 class="title">Battling with English - part 4 (HPR Show 3525)</h1>
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<h2 class="subtitle">Some confusion with English plurals; strange language changes</h2>
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<h2 class="author">Dave Morriss</h2>
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<h1>Table of Contents</h1>
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<nav id="TOC">
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#confusing-plurals">Confusing plurals</a>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#nouns-ending-in-is">Nouns ending in “…is”</a></li>
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<li><a href="#nouns-ending-in-a">Nouns ending in “…a”</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="#some-recent-language-evolution">Some recent language evolution</a>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#the-use-of-is-is">The use of “<em>is is</em>”</a></li>
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<li><a href="#honing-in">“<em>Honing in</em>”</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="#links">Links</a></li>
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</nav>
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</header>
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<h2 id="confusing-plurals">Confusing plurals</h2>
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<p>In this episode, the fourth of this series, I’m looking at some words that have singular and plural forms that are very different. These lead to a lot of confusion as we’ll see.</p>
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<p>I also want to look at the way that English is evolving in some very strange and apparently senseless ways!</p>
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<p><small><b>Personal note:</b> I notice I started preparing this show in 2019; unfortunately, COVID messed up my productivity for the next two years, but I hope I can now begin to be productive again! </small></p>
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<h3 id="nouns-ending-in-is">Nouns ending in “…is”</h3>
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<p>These words usually derive from Greek. This means they don’t conform to the usual English pattern of writing singulars and plurals.</p>
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<p>Some examples: <em>thesis</em>, <em>parenthesis</em>, <em>crisis</em>, <em>nemesis</em>, <em>axis</em>.</p>
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<table id="t01">
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<thead>
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<tr>
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<th>
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Singular
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</th>
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<th>
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Plural
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</th>
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<th>
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Common mistakes
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</th>
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</tr>
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</thead>
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<tbody>
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<td>
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thesis
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</td>
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<td>
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theses
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>thesises</em> ✖, <em>thesis’</em> ✖
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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parenthesis
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</td>
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<td>
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parentheses
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</td>
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<td>
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<ul>
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<li>
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<em>parentheses</em> for the plural but <em>parenthese</em> ✖ for the singular
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</li>
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<li>
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<em>parenthesis</em> for both singular and plural ✖
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</li>
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</ul>
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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crisis
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</td>
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<td>
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crises
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>crisises</em> ✖
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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nemesis
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</td>
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<td>
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nemeses
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>nemesises</em> ✖
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</td>
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</tr>
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<td>
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axis
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</td>
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axes
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Like <em>parentheses</em>, <em>axes</em> is used as the plural but <em>axe</em> ✖ for the singular
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</td>
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</tbody>
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</table>
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<ul>
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<li><p>A mistake often made with these words is that people put <em>es</em> on the end of the singular form to make plurals, thus <em>thesises</em>. The rule here is that the <em>is</em> at the end is <u>replaced</u> by <em>es</em>. I included <em>thesis’</em> with a possessive apostrophe on the end because I have seen this - someone very confused between unusual plurals and possessives.</p></li>
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<li><p>The mistaken assumption that the plural <em>parentheses</em> must have a singular form <em>parenthese</em> error is remarkably common. The thinking seems to be that just removing the final <em>s</em> from the plural makes it singular.</p></li>
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<li><p>I just watched a YouTube video where the presenter made the <em>axis</em> → <em>axe</em> error, so that one is out there too.</p></li>
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</ul>
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<h3 id="nouns-ending-in-a">Nouns ending in “…a”</h3>
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<p>These are <em>irregular</em> plurals which (formally) end with <code>"ae"</code><a href="#fn1" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1" role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>. Some examples follow. The plurals in <em>italics</em> are alternatives which are not used in formal contexts but have become accepted in informal ones:</p>
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<table id="t01">
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<thead>
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<tr>
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<th>
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Singular
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</th>
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<th>
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Plural
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</th>
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<th>
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Common mistakes
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</th>
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</tr>
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</thead>
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<tbody>
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<tr>
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<td>
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antenna
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</td>
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<td>
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antennae, <em>antennas</em>
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>antenna</em> ✖ is not a plural
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</td>
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</tr>
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<td>
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alga
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</td>
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<td>
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algae, <em>algaes</em>
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>alga</em> ✖ is not a plural
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</td>
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<td>
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formula
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</td>
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formulae, <em>formulas</em>
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>formula</em> ✖ is not a plural
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</td>
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<td>
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larva
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</td>
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<td>
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larvae, <em>larvas</em>
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>larva</em> ✖ is not a plural
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</td>
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</tr>
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<td>
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nebula
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</td>
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<td>
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nebulae
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>nebula</em> ✖, is not a plural, <em>nebulas</em> ✖ not an accepted form
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</td>
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</tr>
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<td>
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nova
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</td>
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<td>
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novae, <em>novas</em>
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>nova</em> ✖ is not a plural
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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vertebra
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</td>
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<td>
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vertebrae, <em>vertebras</em>
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>vertebra</em> ✖ is not a plural
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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pupa
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</td>
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<td>
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pupae, <em>pupas</em>
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</td>
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<td>
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<em>pupa</em> ✖ is not a plural
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</td>
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</tr>
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</tbody>
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</table>
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<p>There are other plurals that are confusing of course. As a Biology student I encountered words like <em>proboscis</em> (a Greek-derived word meaning a feeding tube such as an insect mouthpart or an elephant’s trunk). We were taught that the plural was <em>proboscides</em>, though nowadays <em>proboscises</em> is acceptable.</p>
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<p>I’ll leave this subject here though - at least for the moment.</p>
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<h2 id="some-recent-language-evolution">Some recent language evolution</h2>
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<p>There are two things I wanted to mention here, both of which I find strange, and being somewhat <em>superannuated</em> myself, don’t approve of:</p>
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<h3 id="the-use-of-is-is">The use of “<em>is is</em>”</h3>
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<p>You will hear people saying, for example: “The problem is is that it’s snowing.” Finding this construction <u>written</u> is rare (in my experience) but it is common in speech on TV and radio.</p>
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<p>I recall people writing to the BBC to ask why speakers were doubling the word “<em>is</em>” and the response being it was just a common hesitation. That was not a good reply since now it’s everywhere and surely cannot be a verbal <em>tic</em>.</p>
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<p>The sentence: “The question is, is it snowing?” is acceptable of course. The first “is” ends the phrase and the second starts the question.</p>
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<p>See the references below discussing this oddity.</p>
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<h3 id="honing-in">“<em>Honing in</em>”</h3>
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<p>This expression seems to be mishearing or mispronunciation of the phrase “Home in”. I’m not sure if this is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen" title="Wikipedia: A mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning.">Mondegreen</a> but if not, it should be!</p>
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<p>There is a rather poor excuse that since “<em>hone</em>” means to sharpen or narrow (to a point) this is acceptable. I don’t find this acceptable myself, because otherwise we’d have:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Honing missiles</li>
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<li>Honing pigeons</li>
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<li>Sharpening in</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Also, “<em>homing</em>”, “<em>honing</em>” and “<em>sharpening</em>” would be synonyms, and there would be expressions such as “The detective was <u>sharpening in</u> on the criminal.”</p>
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<p>In such a world I would be leaving my blunt chisels out on the bird table in the hopes a “honing pigeon” would pass by and sharpen them.</p>
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<h2 id="links">Links</h2>
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<ul>
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<li>Plural of <em>thesis</em>:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="https://www.grammar-monster.com/plurals/plural_of_thesis.htm">Grammar Monster</a>
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<ul>
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<li>This link has some good advice for dealing with weird plurals, though some you just have to remember, there are no rules!</li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul>
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<ul>
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<li>Irregular plurals which end with <code>"ae"</code> (or <code>"æ"</code>):
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<ul>
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<li><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:English_irregular_plurals_ending_in_%22-ae%22">Wiktionary</a>
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<ul>
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<li>This is a list of these plurals, 159 of them at the time of writing. Many of these are obsolete however.</li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul>
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<ul>
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<li>The “is is” problem:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/36683/why-do-some-people-say-the-reason-is-is-that-with-is-twice-in-a-row">StackExchange: <em>Why do some people say “the reason is is that,” with “is” twice in a row?</em></a></li>
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<li><a href="https://www.grammarbook.com/blog/effective-writing/what-is-is-is-is-exasperating/">GrammarBook.com: What Is-Is Is, Is Exasperating</a></li>
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<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_copula">Wikipedia article on the <em>Double Copula</em></a></li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul>
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<ul>
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<li>“Honing in”:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hone%20in">Merriam-Webster: <em>hone in</em></a></li>
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<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ07FbgQkqk"><em>Me Ears Are Alight</em> old British advertisement</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul>
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<ul>
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<li>Previous episodes in this series:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="http://hackerpublicradio.org/eps.php?id=2558">Battling with English - part 1</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://hackerpublicradio.org/eps.php?id=2596">Battling with English - part 2</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://hackerpublicradio.org/eps.php?id=2751">Battling with English - part 3</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul>
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<section class="footnotes" role="doc-endnotes">
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<hr />
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<ol>
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<li id="fn1" role="doc-endnote"><p>I was taught to use the <em>ligature</em> æ. This is formed from the letters <code>a</code> and <code>e</code>, originates in Latin and was common in English at one time. It’s rare to see this in modern text in my experience.<a href="#fnref1" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
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</ol>
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</section>
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</article>
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