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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
BlackBerry, the brand name for the communication device is a proper noun. Proper nouns, when plural, take an S even if they finish in Y.
Blackberry, when used to name the fruit, is a common noun. Nouns that finish in Y finish in IES when in the plural form, unless the Y is preceeded by a vowel.
The easest way to visualize this is to imagine having two people in your family called Wendy. When you write this down, you'd write, "There are two Wendys in our family" not "two Wendies"
It only becomes confusing when companies use common nouns as brand names, turning them into proper nouns. We know the word as a common noun and want to treat it that way and the correct way of pluralizing it grates at us.
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
We did have two Wendy's in our family, and a blind cousin could tell them apart by their perfume. Said it was a case of Wendy scent exposure.
TEd
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
FWIW, googling "blackberries" does give a link to the RIM web site in the top ten.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757 |
> googling "blackberries yeahbut it's standard marketing advice to consider common mistaken spellings when choosing your keywords. When you're advertising Pepsi for example, you'll want to include such simple errors as "Coke"... 
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Joined: Dec 2000
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old hand
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OP
old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
Ah, sugary beverages - they're a popular topic around here, huh. Read this recently: School soft drink ban
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379 |
Quote:
BlackBerry, the brand name for the communication device is a proper noun. Proper nouns, when plural, take an S even if they finish in Y.
Blackberry, when used to name the fruit, is a common noun. Nouns that finish in Y finish in IES when in the plural form, unless the Y is preceeded by a vowel.
The easest way to visualize this is to imagine having two people in your family called Wendy. When you write this down, you'd write, "There are two Wendys in our family" not "two Wendies"
It only becomes confusing when companies use common nouns as brand names, turning them into proper nouns. We know the word as a common noun and want to treat it that way and the correct way of pluralizing it grates at us.
Works for me.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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OP
old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
> Works for me.
Yes. Good explanation thanks, BelM.
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 67
journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 67 |
One BlackBerry.
Two BlackBerrys.
Three BlackBerrys.
Jam.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 427
addict
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addict
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 427 |
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