Comments on: Further explorations in pluralities

By: Barry Wood

Barry Wood — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:09:01 +0000

Dear Mr. Wolverine:
Sorry, I guessed wrong. We had a staffer with the same first name and a very similar last name, and I thought maybe he was checking in with me. Similarly, at least two other people who have responded to my blog have used names eerily similar to those of former employees. Apparently it’s just coincidence. Sometimes I look for word games where there are none.
This whole thing of “adopted” names is new to me. I use my real name.

By: William Wolverine

William Wolverine — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:05:11 +0000

Dear Mr. Wood,

Are you saying you have an employee there named Wolverine? That would be odd, because it is an adopted moniker by me. I would find it kind of funny if someone actually had that as a first or last name.

By: Barry Wood

Barry Wood — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:50:33 +0000

Dear Mr. Wolverine,
Did you use to work here under an assumed name?
Thanks for joining in the pun fun.
By the way, I’m so old that I’ll always associate Jim Garner with his role as Bret Maverick.

By: Barry Wood

Barry Wood — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:40:02 +0000

Dear Mr. Mackey:
Opposing views are always welcome. And I don’t favor doing away with all the inconsistencies of English. It wouldn’t be fun anymore.
I assume from your disdain for “forums” that you prefer the Latin “fora.” According to Mr. Garner, some writers in political science and law prefer “fora,” but he is not alone is calling such use “pedantic.” Of course, some people are proud to be pedantic, and many of them end up in my profession as copy editors. This is not entirely a bad thing.
However, if you cringe at every use of “forums,” I foresee little relief in the near future.
Thanks for your comments.

By: William Wolverine

William Wolverine — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:55:30 +0000

I wonder what JIM Garner would say about this? Mr. Rockford Files certainly was a fun-guy. Rock on, Woodie.

By: Brian Mackey

Brian Mackey — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:44:41 +0000

With all due respect to Messrs. Wood and Garner (”Misters,” anyone?), I couldn’t disagree more. Why not just use the least-common-denominator plural — add “s” — in all cases?

Thus, on a recent hike, I saw many animals, including deers, oxes, gooses and mooses. (Not to be confused with the malapropistic animals, like foxen and meese.)

I acknowledge it can go too far, as with octopi — I believe it was the comedian Shelly Berman who had a bit about a box of tissues containing many “Kleenices.” That said, I cringe every time I hear a broadcaster refer to upcoming candidate “forums.”

As exemplified by the animals named above, English speakers already know many oddball plurals. I don’t have a problem with a few more, but perhaps I’m alone on this.

(Notwithstanding this comment, I do enjoy your blog, Mr. Wood, so please keep up the good work.)