Silly grammar meme

[altivo]

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Classics Scholar You selected the correct plural form 100% of the time.

Outstanding! In order to see this you need to get every question absolutely correct (according to my own preference, admittedly) including picking up one or two extra points for a fuller answer, in places. You are either a true expert, a determined re-trier or a Googler. In any case, nice work Hot Shot!

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on correct plurals

Link: The Do you know your plurals? Test written by Gaidheal on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Actually, I'd say at least two of those don't have a definitively correct response, and possibly more of them. Latin and Greek pluralization of loan words is going out of fashion and even the New York Times no longer does it consistently.

Comments

[farhoug.livejournal.com]

75% initially, and 91% with a more "Latin" mindset. I think I have never seen some of those plural forms used much anywhere, but I guess there is a system for those anyways since I was able to figure out most of them. =)

Better go through those once more with a dictionary, at least I'll learn something from these silly tests. =)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

All the weird ones were Latin or Greek, yes. I was disappointed that they didn't use any of the good AngloSaxon plurals, like goose and geese or ox and oxen. The tricky one was genius. The correct Latin plural is indeed genii, but that one hasn't been used in English for a couple of centuries and they want you to pick genius.

Goose (the bird) is geese if there are more than one. But goose (the tailor's iron) is gooses if there are more than one. How's that for esoteric?

The plural of goose is geese, but the plural of moose is moose. The plural of mouse is mice, but the plural of house is houses. The plural of ox is oxen, but the plural of fox is fox or foxes (both are legal, but I actually prefer foxen myself and often use it.) English is a very irregular language I'm afraid. XD Sheep are sheep no matter how many you have. Bah!

[typographer.livejournal.com]

Yes, but if you have half a bee it's an eric.

:P

Genius I agonized over, because my very rusty latin said it ought to be genii, but I couldn't remember if I'd ever seen it in text in an english context.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I wanted to choose "genii" as well, but I didn't and for precisely that reason.

As far as demi-bees go, does it matter which half?

[farhoug.livejournal.com]

Sheep don't matter? =)
Yeah, it was a bit foreign-word-centric, and a bit short too. It could sure have used some more obscurity too, that's in abundance...

It looks like the English grammar is becoming much a matter of opinion rather than the already hefty book of rules and its various exceptions. But then again, languages change, as they've always done. Well, maybe except Latin. The old one. =)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Not so much that sheep don't matter, but rather that they are always indeterminate in number. ;p That's why we have to count them all the time.

The debate between prescriptive grammar and descriptive has been raging for centuries. I doubt it has been settled.

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

I missed one; not sure which, actually - but I pride myself on my spelling and grammar (though I'm a bit softer with it in Journal entries and comments). Not as dearly as does the lovely pony, though ;)

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Did you pick "genii" as the plural of "genius"? They wanted "geniuses". Whether that's correct is open to debate unless you just go by common usage.

[(Anonymous)]

I picked "geniuses", so apparently not that one :)

I've been reading your journal, by the way, just not commenting often due to time constraints of late. You're a smexy pony :)

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Hee! I'm a sleep deprived pony with an irritating head cold.

[kakoukorakos.livejournal.com]

I'm a classics student...so, yeah. It didn't tell me anything I didn't know (as I have a bachelor's in Classics, c. 1997)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

But even you and I don't walk around advertising our own "genii" and tossing about words like "equinoces" and "hippopotami" just for effect. ;p

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

But can a bee be said to be an entire bee
when half the bee is not a bee
due to some ancient injury XD

[altivo.livejournal.com]

To be a bee or not a bee, that is the question?

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

In my case, no.

You eclectic equine you :D

[luperion.livejournal.com]

75 purrcent.

Not the smartest woof. But one of the fluffiest.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Cuddly, too. Hiya. ;D

[octatonic.livejournal.com]

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continue to OkCupid homescreen > (/home)

Better than I thought. I was sure I'd get an F and you'd just
spank me on this one.

Great, now I'm imagining...never mind.

XD

Is grammer even relevant anymore in todays online world?

c.c

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Tsk. Of course, grammar is still relevant. Ultimately, if we degenerate to anything goes in spelling and syntax, we will no longer be able to express ourselves or understand others with any degree of accuracy at all.

I know, I know, I've just described a typical IRC channel or Usenet news topic. But I still think it's sad to see Americans devalue the language so badly, considering spelling irrelevant and grammar unnecessary.