Word: Deer
The wrong way: I saw two deers on the side of the road.
The right way: I saw two deer on the side of the road.
Absolutely no ideer why.
The wrong way: I saw two deers on the side of the road.
The right way: I saw two deer on the side of the road.
Absolutely no ideer why.
Word: Goose
The wrong way: Look at the family of gooses by the pond!
The right way: Look at the family of geese by the pond!
But remember, mongoose is mongooses and moose are not meece.
Word: Fish
The wrong way: There are plenty of fishes in the sea.
The right way: There are plenty of fish in the sea.
Also applies to types of fish, so don’t go ordering “salmons” or “tunas.”
The wrong way: Look at the family of gooses by the pond!
The right way: Look at the family of geese by the pond!
But remember, mongoose is mongooses and moose are not meece.
Word: Fish
The wrong way: There are plenty of fishes in the sea.
The right way: There are plenty of fish in the sea.
Also applies to types of fish, so don’t go ordering “salmons” or “tunas.”
Word: Hoof
The wrong way: I swear I heard reindeer hoofs on the roof.
The right way: I swear I heard reindeer hooves on the roof.
The wrong way: I swear I heard reindeer hoofs on the roof.
The right way: I swear I heard reindeer hooves on the roof.
It behooves you to know the correct plural of this word.
Word: Brother-in-law/Sister-in-law
The wrong way: I have five brother-in-laws.
The right way: I have five brothers-in-law.
Either way, you’ve got to deal with them.
The wrong way: I have five brother-in-laws.
The right way: I have five brothers-in-law.
Either way, you’ve got to deal with them.
Word: Passerby
The wrong way: She sat at a café and watched the passerbys.
The right way: She sat at a café and watched the passersby.
The wrong way: She sat at a café and watched the passerbys.
The right way: She sat at a café and watched the passersby.
Word: Syllabus
The wrong way: The professor passed out the syllabuses.
The right way: The professor passed out the syllabi.
You will definitely pass this class.
The right way: The professor passed out the syllabi.
You will definitely pass this class.
Word: Index
The wrong way: A good shortcut is flipping through the indexes.
The right way: A good shortcut is flipping through the indices.
The dice are in your favor.
The wrong way: A good shortcut is flipping through the indexes.
The right way: A good shortcut is flipping through the indices.
The dice are in your favor.
Word: Millennium
The wrong way: Many millenniums ago…
The right way: Many millennia ago…
The Backstreet Boys should title their comeback album Millennia.
The wrong way: Many millenniums ago…
The right way: Many millennia ago…
The Backstreet Boys should title their comeback album Millennia.
Word: Octopus
The wrong way: Octopi have eight arms.
The right way: Octopuses have eight arms.
If you want to impress people, just tell them you never put a Latin ending--i--on a Greek-derived word. But hey, worse things could happen.
The wrong way: Octopi have eight arms.
The right way: Octopuses have eight arms.
If you want to impress people, just tell them you never put a Latin ending--i--on a Greek-derived word. But hey, worse things could happen.
