meta user
network profile
| bio | website | chanhosuh.com |
|---|---|---|
| location | California | |
| age | ||
| visits | member for | 1 year |
| seen | Jun 4 at 16:44 | |
| stats | profile views | 42 |
I don't regard myself as particularly interested in English language and usage, but it is undeniable that I've often discussed them with friends, even to the point beyond what is socially acceptable. So here I am.
Relevant info to know about me:
- Native fluency in American English
- Descriptivist
|
Aug 18 |
comment |
Why are words ending in “-um” and “-us” pluralized to end in “-a” and “-i”, respectively? Good examples! I should have put a smiley after my comment; it was meant somewhat tongue-in-cheek. |
|
Aug 18 |
comment |
Why do we say a check “bounced”? @Jim You should ask that as a separate question! I'm curious too. |
|
Aug 18 |
comment |
Difference between “commit suicide” and “suicide” Obviously we travel in different circles, Daniel. I've heard suicide as a verb often; however, it's been disparaged by some of my more literate friends as basically being incorrect. I'd say they agree that most people actually understand what it means and is not actually confusing. This is based on their experiences teaching high school English. They see it as a common usage amongst their students which they need to stamp out. Needless to say, they were quite flabbergasted when we opened up the OED and found suicide as a verb! |
|
Aug 18 |
comment |
Why are words ending in “-um” and “-us” pluralized to end in “-a” and “-i”, respectively? @MikeBrown But octopi and platypi are acceptable plural forms. Basically there's not much point to keeping track of whether a word is Greek or Latin if it ends in something like us; you might as well pluralize using i since people will make that mistake and then it becomes common usage |
