23 words and phrases with odd plural forms
The rules of English spelling can be baffling.
Writers and editors see it daily. I recently had to check the spelling of “prerogative” because it couldn’t possibly be spelled “prerogative” (it is).
One area of spelling that is particularly challenging: finding correct plural forms. They can trip writers up, because they’re difficult to spell and difficult to pronounce.
Below are 23 tricky plurals:
- antennae
- asterisks
- attorneys general
- axes (plural of axis)
- bases (plural of basis)
- courts-martial
- culs-de-sac
- diagnoses
- dos and don’ts
- emphases
- hippopotami
- memos
- mongooses
- mothers-in-law
- mottoes (plural of motto)
- neuroses
- oases (plural of oasis)
- octopuses
- parentheses
- sheaves (plural of sheaf)
- staves (plural of staff)
- sylabi
- yeses and nos
What others can you think of, PR Daily readers?
This post was first published on Ragan Communication’s PR Daily.
