Plurals of Nouns</b></p>
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chair, chairs
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wave, waves
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book, books
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pencil, pencils
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paper, papers
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>The usual way of forming the plural of English nouns is
illustrated by the words in the column above. Simply add an S to the end of the
word.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'><b>Rule 1.—Nouns regularly form the plural by adding s,
but those ending in a hissing sound must add es.</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>Every word that ends in a sibilant, or hissing sound, (ch, s, sh, ss, x, z) forms its plural
like fox. Observe the following examples:</p>
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dress, dresses
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splash, splashes
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business, businesses
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church, churches
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fox, foxes
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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>
<b>Exercise 30</b></p>
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(a)
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lady, ladies
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(b)
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valley, valleys
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ally, allies
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alley, alleys
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soliloquy, soliloquies
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journey, journeys
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>Name five words belonging to group (a) above.
Does a vowel or a consonant precede the y in each case?</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>Name other words belonging to the group (b)
above. Does a vowel or a consonant precede the y in each case?<a name="Page_19">[</a>19]</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'><a name="Rule_2"></a><b>Rule 2.—Nouns
ending in y preceded by a consonant (and nouns ending in quy) form the plural by changing y to i and adding es.</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:13.5pt;text-align:center'>
<b>Exercise 31—Words ending in o</b></p>
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(a)
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potato, potatoes
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hero, heroes
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mulatto, mulattoes
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tomato, tomatoes
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buffalo, buffaloes
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cargo, cargoes
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negro, negroes
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echo, echoes
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motto, mottoes
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(b)
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solo, solos
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piano, pianos
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memento, mementos
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halo, halos
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lasso, lassos
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canto, cantos
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zero, zeros
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quarto, quartos
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soprano, sopranos
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stilletto, stillettos
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>The older English words ending in o form
the plural by adding es, as in potatoes;
those more recently taken into the language form the plural by adding s,
as in quartos.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>
<b>Exercise 32—Nouns in f and fe</b></p>
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leaf, leaves
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calf, calves
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wife, wives
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loaf, loaves
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sheaf, sheaves
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shelf, shelves
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half, halves
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wolf, wolves
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elf, elves
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life, lives
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beef, beeves
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wharf, wharves (or wharfs)
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self, selves
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knife, knives
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>With the exception of the words given above, nouns
ending in an f sound form the plural in the regular way; as,</p>
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hoof, hoofs
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scarf, scarfs
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beliefs, beliefs
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chief, chiefs
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reef, reefs
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grief, griefs
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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>
<b>Exercise 33—Irregular Plurals</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>Some nouns form their plural by a change of vowel; as,</p>
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man
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men
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foot
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feet
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woman
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women
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tooth
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teeth
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goose
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geese
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mouse
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mice
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>A few words retain the old time plural en; as,</p>
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brother
brethren
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child
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children
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ox
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oxen
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>A few words are the same in both singular and plural;
as,</p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>sheep, trout, deer</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>Some nouns have two plurals which differ in meaning;
as,</p>
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Singular
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Plural
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brother
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brothers
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brethren
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penny
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pennies
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pence
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pea
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peas
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pease
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die
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dies
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dice
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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:13.5pt;text-align:center'>
<![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]>
<![endif]><b></b></p>
</div>
<b>
</b>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:13.5pt;text-align:center'><b>Exercise 34—Compound Nouns</b></p>
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Singular
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Plural
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brother-in-law
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brothers-in-law
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father-in-law
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fathers-in-law
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court-martial
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courts-martial
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commander-in-chief
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commanders-in-chief
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man-of-war
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men-of-war
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major general
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major generals
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goose quill
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goose quills
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bill of fare
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bills of fare
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spoonful
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spoonfuls
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cupful
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cupfuls
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'><b>Rule 3.—Compound nouns usually add the sign of the
plural to the fundamental part of the word.</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>Note.—In spoonfuls the
thought is of one spoon many times full.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>
<b>Plural of Letters and Figures</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'><b>Rule 4.—Letters and figures form
the plural by adding the apostrophe (') and s; as,</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>The same rule applies to the plural of words which
ordinarily have no plural; as,</p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Don't use so many and's and if's.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>
<b>Exercise 35—Foreign Plurals</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>Some nouns derived from foreign languages retain their
original plural. The following are in common use.</p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p>
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Singular
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Plural
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Singular
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Plural
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crisis
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crises
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stratum
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strata
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thesis
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theses
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radius
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radii
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hypothesis
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hypotheses
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parenthesis
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parentheses
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focus
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foci
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synopsis
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synopses
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datum
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data
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basis
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bases
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alumnus
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alumni
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automaton
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automata
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alumna
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alumnae
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analysis
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analyses
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oasis
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oases
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nucleus
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nuclei
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axis
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axes
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phenomenon
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phenomena
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genus
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genera
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:9.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:9.0pt;
margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
15.0pt'>Some words admit of two plurals, one the foreign
plural, and one the regular English plural; as,</p>
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Singular
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Plural
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beau
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beaux
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beaus
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formula
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formulae
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formulas
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vertex
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vertices
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vertexes
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index
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indices
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indexes
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cherub
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cherubim
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cherubs
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seraph
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seraphim
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seraphs
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bandit
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banditti
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bandits
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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