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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Plurals treated as singular #204841 02/22/2012 4:20 PM Joined: Feb 2012 Posts: 1 doublecross stranger doublecross stranger Joined: Feb 2012 Posts: 1 I like the theme of this week. I wonder if we will get 'opera' (quite likely) and 'panini' (less likely)! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Plurals treated as singular doublecross #204842 02/22/2012 6:49 PM Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague Panini? (welcome) Ain't those little crispy buns? Never knew it as singular. Is it really? I came across a sentence in the book I'm now reading : "Like his sister Marguerite, Francis wanted to tolerate the Protestants, but the sect were not content with being let alone." etc. Never knew sect is a plural singular. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Plurals treated as singular BranShea #204846 02/22/2012 8:44 PM Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 1,075 Lancaster, UK Rhubarb Commando old hand Rhubarb Commando old hand Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 1,075 Lancaster, UK >>but the sect were not content with being let alone. etc. Never knew sect is a plural singular.<< Hmmm! Interesting, Bran. I think it might depend on what you're saying about the sect. E.g., I would definitely say, "The sect was a strict one," rather than "were" In the e.g. that you give, the context is the members of the sect were not comtent, whereas in my e.g. it is a function of the sect itself. I don't know if I'm right or not (and someone here will soon tell me! ) but that seems a logical analysis. I'm immortal until proven otherwise Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Plurals treated as singular BranShea #204849 02/22/2012 11:23 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 This is not a standard in American English. It is fairly common in British English and often going the way Rhuby suggests. Since Anu mentioned opera in the introduction to Monday's word I doubt it will be in the week's word. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Plurals treated as singular BranShea #204853 02/23/2012 11:28 AM Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 6 talesoftrivia stranger talesoftrivia stranger Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 6 In the U.S., anyway, "panini" is consistently used as both singular and plural in every place I've been that sells them. I tried ordering, "I'll have a ... panino, please" a couple of times, and got a strange look each time. By the way, again at least in the U.S., they aren't crispy buns, they're warm sandwiches on sliced bread pressed flat in a grill press. In Italy, I remember the word referring to a cold sandwich on a small baguette. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Plurals treated as singular talesoftrivia #204861 02/23/2012 9:47 PM Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague Thank you. I've done the image search. Indeed panini are flat and pressed in a toaster, also the italian where the baguette is pressed. They are very similar to the French 'croque monsieur' ou 'croque madame' and the Dutch 'tosti'. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Plurals treated as singular BranShea #204868 02/24/2012 11:41 AM Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 1,706 down under Candy Pooh-Bah Candy Pooh-Bah Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 1,706 down under I've seen Martha Stewart make 'panini' on TV...its a favourite of hers. The word is not common here in Oz. And I agree with FF...Anu seldom repeats himself, so I doubt he will include opera in this weeks list. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Plurals from little latin and less Greek Candy #204880 02/24/2012 2:42 PM Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh opera This week reminds me of a favorite subject of mine: incorrect Latin plurals. Opus 'work' and *opii (correct opera), virus 'poison; slime' and *virii (there is no correct plural, the word only occurs in Latin as a singular), octopus and *octopi (correct Greek octopodes), syllabus and *syllabi (correct syllabus), same with apparatus and *apparati (apparatus). In english, the plurals I would use are: opus and opuses (opera has a new specialized meaning in English), virus and viruses, octopus and octopuses, etc. Ceci n'est pas un seing. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. 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