In the online game "Travian" the following sentence is used:
"Your barracks is finished. A good step towards world domination.”
Shouldn't it be:
Your barracks are finished
or
Your barrack is finished
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"Barracks" can be either singular or plural. Plural in the context of "one barrack, two barracks," etc. But "barracks" could also refer to a COMPLEX of military installations. In that case, "your barracks is finished," means "your military complex is finished," singular. Yes, it's "computergamese." |
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No, oddly enough, barracks is a singular as well as a plural. Barrack exists, but only in barrack block, one constituent of a barracks, or metaphorical contexts such as 'a gloomy barrack of a place'. And many computer games allow you to put a Barracks (and, e.g. a Temple) in each of your cities: I would think "Your Barracks are finished" would mean you have one in each city, similar to "Your Temples are finished". |
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