One Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .

One Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . . One Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . . One Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . . By Simon Kewin What do a sheep, a cannon and an aircraft have in common? The answer is that they all usually use the same word whether they are in the singular or the plural. If you have one sheep and then you acquire a second sheep, you now have two sheep, not two sheeps.   Other words exhibit this strange behaviour too, often other sorts of animal. For example, bison, deer, moose, pike and swine all usually use the same word for their singular and their plural. So, strictly speaking, it would be incorrect to refer to several bisons, deers, mooses, pikes or swines.   I say usually because this rather illogical rule is quite commonly broken and more regular plural forms do creep in for some of these words. Its actually quite common for people to refer to cannons for example. The Compact Oxford Dictionary says that the plural of cannon is only usually the same† so that, in fact, cannons is more and more acceptable.   The process has gone further with other words. For both salmon and trout, for example, the OED now says that either form of plural is equally acceptable. You can say three salmon or three salmons, although many people would still find three salmon preferable. Similarly, the Merriam-Webster dictionary lists both deers and pikes as acceptable plural forms. The Compact Oxford Dictionary, meanwhile, still says that the correct plural for the word pike (meaning the type of fish) is pike. But, as if to illustrate how illogical this is, the plural of the word pike when it refers to the weapon is regular : pikes.   This is another area where there will be disagreement among writers. On the one hand, â€Å"two cannon† is strictly correct but, on the other hand, â€Å"two cannons† is now a common usage and one which is, after all, perfectly clear in its meaning.   Footnote : fish and fishes is an interesting case. Both the Oxford and the Merriam-Webster dictionaries say that the plural of fish can be either fish or fishes. In fact, the two plural words are often used to refer to different things. As the Oxford dictionary explains :   The normal plural of fish is fish, as in â€Å"he caught two huge fish†; however the older form fishes is still used when referring to different kinds of fish: â€Å"freshwater fishes of the British Isles†.   So you use fish when referring to more than one fish of the same type and fishes when referring to multiple fish of different types. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Homograph Examples3 Cases of Complicated Hyphenation50 Synonyms for â€Å"Villain†

Difference and Usages Between To and Too

Difference and Usages Between To and Too Sometimes a seemingly small error can turn a great paper into a dud. Using to when you should have used too might seem like a small matter to you, but it can be one of those errors that make the red ink pens fly. This is one mix-up that makes teachers and professors crazy! The key to remembering when to use too instead of to is the extra o in too. The word too is used when youre referring to an extra or excessive amount of something. For instance: Im too tired to do another math problem. (excessively tired)Ive eaten too many blueberries and Im feeling sick. (an excessive amount)Im coming to your party too. (as an extra person)I think the school day starts too early. (excessively early) The word to has many uses. 1. It can be a preposition expressing a certain direction or location: I am going to the coffee shop. 2. It can be a proposition that identifies a thing or person being affected by something: That situation seems crazy to me. 3. It can make up (or indicate) an infinitive verb form. Marigold loves to sing.To live well is my goal. More Tips for Using Too If you are already in the habit of mixing to and too, it will take a little practice to correct yourself. They key is to stop and make a conscious decision each time you start to write the word to. Ask yourself if: You could substitute the word very.You could substitute the word excessively.You are dealing with an increase in number or degree of something.You could substitute the word also.Youre talking about going past a certain limit.You could substitute the word exceedingly. Notice how each case above deals with the notion of an extra amount? Just think about that extra o in too as you write and proofread. Youll be cured of a bad habit in no time!