Assume v. Presume

[Black Hole]

I spotted a "menu's" today.

 

[Black Hole]

Des Coleman

Generally known as "thicko" (taking over the title from when Louise Minchin demonstrated her inability to open a Tetrapak of milk on live telly... or it might have been Suzanna Reid)...

plural of fog is fog

Really? Doesn't seem right to me.

 

[emdubya77]

Surely there is no plural of fog at all? c.f. water, air, flour etc.

 

[MikeSh]

Surely there is no plural of fog at all? c.f. water, air, flour etc.

There is taking the waters, and airs and graces.
Flours is often used as a contraction of 'types of flour' (my supermarket has many different flours on the shelves) ... would that strictly be a plural or an apostrophe job?

 

[Trev]

Flours is often used as a contraction of 'types of flour' (my supermarket has many different flours on the shelves) ... would that strictly be a plural or an apostrophe job?

That's not a plural or an apostrophe job. Flower Flour is a fine dust that comes in packets and you can have multiple packets of flour, but to try to pluralise a bunch of dust is silly.
Gas - gasses. Does not pluralise gas, but describes different types of gas.
Taking the waters and airs and graces are both nonsense (linguistically) phrases.
You could apostrophise it as in "the flower's flour's bag" as it is now referring to the bag that belongs to the [s[flower[/s] flour. (but also a bit silly)

 

[Black Hole]

Gas - gasses. Does not pluralise gas, but describes different types of gas.

That is a plural. Same as you can have different types of ball and the collection are "balls" not "ball".

 

[RobH1]

That's not a plural or an apostrophe job. Flower is a fine dust that comes in packets
You could apostrophise it as in "the flower's bag" as it is now referring to the bag that belongs to the flower. (but also a bit silly)

Flower?

 

[Trev]

I suppose you will be telling me that sheeps and fishes are the plurals of sheep and fish.

OOPS. Flowers grow in the garden. It's flour that Dusty Miller makes and comes in bags isn't it.

 

[Black Hole]

sheeps

No

fishes

Yes

 

[Trev]

Sheeps - No -Why not?
So what is the singular of sheep?

 

[af123]

Sheeps - No -Why not?
So what is the singular of sheep?

Susie Dent was using "sheeps" on her podcast earlier in the year, so that leads me to believe it might have a place...

I also learned today about the comma in "God rest ye merry, gentlemen".. live and learn!

 

[MikeSh]

So what is the singular of sheep?

Shoop

 

[Black Hole]

I also learned today about the comma in "God rest ye merry, gentlemen".. live and learn!

What? You mean that there is one? Without one the meaning is ambiguous, with one the placement disambiguates.

 

[Trev]

Why is it ambiguous? Surely "God" is the subject, "rest|" is the verb and the archaic you "ye merry gentlemen" is the object.
But with the comma present the line does not scan with the music.
Can someone really "rest merry"?

 

[Black Hole]

Oh yes. Don't forget it was written in Middle English.

The ambiguity I was talking about (without any comma) is whether to assume a comma after "ye" (which is what people tend to assume) or after the "merry" (which changes the meaning considerably).

 

[EEPhil]

Des Coleman

Generally known as "thicko"

That's a bit unfair.

plural of fog is fog

Really? Doesn't seem right to me.

That was Des reporting the Met Office (or some other weather forecast provider). Hmm. Maybe I take your first point.

 

[EEPhil]

OOPS. Flowers grow in the garden. It's flour that Dusty Miller makes and comes in bags isn't it.

Windy Miller?
Edit (21/1/20): Dusty Miller was a lighting cameraman on The Sweeney.

 

[Black Hole]

That's a bit unfair.

Oh-arrr? I was only going on what you said:

Des Coleman... wanted to know what the plural of fog was and where to place the apostrophe.

 

[gomezz]

The plural of gas is gases. Gasses is something that farmers would like to do to badgers.

 

[antipodean]

Shoop

Wasn't that a song by Cher ???