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#209310 - 01/29/13 12:17 PM old quiz
LukeJavan8 Online   sleepy
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 06/23/08
Posts: 5282
Loc: Land of the Flat Water

More Is Less

A riddle attributed to British prime minister George Canning, among many others:

A word there is of plural number,
Foe to ease and tranquil slumber.
Any other word you take
And add an S will plural make;
But if you add an S to this,
So strange the metamorphosis,
Plural is plural now no more
And sweet what bitter was before.
_________________________
----please, draw me a sheep----

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#209315 - 01/29/13 06:07 PM Re: old quiz [Re: LukeJavan8]
Faldage Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/01/00
Posts: 13653
Originally Posted By: LukeJavan8

Any other word you take
And add an S will plural make;


This is obviously not true. There are many words in English that do not take an -s plural.

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#209316 - 01/29/13 06:08 PM Re: old quiz [Re: LukeJavan8]
Faldage Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/01/00
Posts: 13653
I do know one plural that ends in -s such that when you add another s to it becomes singular. Not sure about the "[f]oe to ease and tranquil slumber" part.

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#209321 - 01/29/13 08:48 PM Re: old quiz [Re: Faldage]
Tromboniator Offline
addict

Registered: 05/10/10
Posts: 690
Loc: Alaska
Originally Posted By: Faldage
I do know one plural that ends in -s such that when you add another s to it becomes singular. Not sure about the "[f]oe to ease and tranquil slumber" part.

That's where I am.

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#209325 - 01/30/13 01:24 PM Re: old quiz [Re: Tromboniator]
LukeJavan8 Online   sleepy
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 06/23/08
Posts: 5282
Loc: Land of the Flat Water
Are you aslumber????
_________________________
----please, draw me a sheep----

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#209334 - 01/31/13 07:07 AM Re: old quiz [Re: Faldage]
A C Bowden Offline
journeyman

Registered: 10/22/10
Posts: 75
Loc: London, UK
Originally Posted By: Faldage
I do know one plural that ends in -s such that when you add another s to it becomes singular.

Is it one of these?

princes/princess
ogres/ogress
cares/caress
bras/brass

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#209335 - 01/31/13 10:58 AM Re: old quiz [Re: A C Bowden]
jenny jenny Online   content
addict

Registered: 06/05/10
Posts: 616
Loc: Lower Aberdeen, Mississippi
needles: foe to tranquil slumber?
needless: bitter to sweet?

Naw. frown

cares to caress... smile Yeah, AC, I like that one.

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#209346 - 02/01/13 07:44 AM Re: old quiz [Re: LukeJavan8]
Faldage Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/01/00
Posts: 13653
I like that cares/caress. Good work, A C.

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