pluralising
Adam Rosalky
In a recent game of SCRABBLE, I was told the word 'zen' could not be
pluralised because it is singular. Similarly I was told that words
like planet names and 'Christianity' were also singular.
Can these nouns be pluralised or not?
Bill Fisher
Yes, they can be.
- billf
Peter Moylan
>In a recent game of SCRABBLE, I was told the word 'zen' could not be
>pluralised because it is singular. Similarly I was told that words
>like planet names and 'Christianity' were also singular.
I've come across the expression "the mass of fifty Jupiters"
(or something like that - I don't remember what the number was).
You'll find some references in science fiction novels to
multiple Earths.
I can just imagine someone saying "His Christianity is quite
different from her Christianity; they're quite different
Christianities" ... but that's a made-up example, I've never
heard anyone actually say it.
>Can these nouns be pluralised or not?
This is probably not a language question. Sure, you can form
the plural form of any of these words. The real question is
"can you think of any situation where the plural makes sense?"
No, on second thoughts, the real question is "Is it legal
in Scrabble?" Probably not.
--
Peter Moylan pe...@ee.newcastle.edu.au
http://www.eng.newcastle.edu.au/ee/Moylan.html
OS/2 freeware list at
http://www.eng.newcastle.edu.au/ee/Moylan/os2/os2info.html
Maureen
>Adam Rosalky (ad...@pcug.org.au) wrote:
>>In a recent game of SCRABBLE, I was told the word 'zen' could not be
>>pluralised because it is singular. Similarly I was told that words
>>like planet names and 'Christianity' were also singular.
There is only one Jupiter,one earth,one Christianity. Something might
have a mass of fifty Jupiters, but there is still only one Jupiter. Many
people might have many different interpretations of Christianity, but
there is only one Christianity. Science fiction might talk about
"multiple earths", but we know there is only one planet with the name
"earth". I think your scrabble friends were right in not letting you
pluralise,Jupiter,Christianity,Earth and Zen.
I think it sometimes depends on the scrabble group. If you are playing
with a group that plays together often, the group could alter some of the
rules that certain players are unhappy about After all, it's only a
game.
Maureen :-)
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may..."
Doug Clulow
The rules of scrabble prohibit the use of proper nouns. Thus "Zen" in
not allowed even in singular form.
Doug Clulow
Davida Chazan
I say, wasn't that clu...@cleo.murdoch.edu.au (Doug Clulow) who wrote:
>>>Adam Rosalky (ad...@pcug.org.au) wrote:
>>>>In a recent game of SCRABBLE, I was told the word 'zen' could not be
>>>>pluralised because it is singular. Similarly I was told that words
>>>>like planet names and 'Christianity' were also singular.
Except, of course for sun and moon.
>The rules of scrabble prohibit the use of proper nouns. Thus "Zen" in
>not allowed even in singular form.
Really?
Davida (Ooops! Honey, take off 32 points from my score.) Chazan
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Life is like a box of Chocolates..."
from 'Forrest Gump'
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Bill Fisher
In article <4r4dq8$9...@news.sentex.net>, Maureen <mau...@sentex.net> writes:
>
> >Adam Rosalky (ad...@pcug.org.au) wrote:
> >>In a recent game of SCRABBLE, I was told the word 'zen' could not be
> >>pluralised because it is singular. Similarly I was told that words
> >>like planet names and 'Christianity' were also singular.
>
>
>
> have a mass of fifty Jupiters, but there is still only one Jupiter. Many
> people might have many different interpretations of Christianity, but
> there is only one Christianity. Science fiction might talk about
> "multiple earths", but we know there is only one planet with the name
> "earth". I think your scrabble friends were right in not letting you
> pluralise,Jupiter,Christianity,Earth and Zen.
>
Have you caught me in a cognitive blind spot? I can't make any
sense at all of this. You give several perfectly good examples of
the usage of plural forms of these words, and then say he should not
be allowed to do it. Wha...?
- billf
Joseph Chacko
In article <4r5gai$h...@newsman.murdoch.edu.au>
clu...@cleo.murdoch.edu.au "Doug Clulow" writes:
> Maureen <mau...@sentex.net> wrote:
>
> >I think your scrabble friends were right in not letting you
> >pluralise,Jupiter,Christianity,Earth and Zen.
>
> The rules of scrabble prohibit the use of proper nouns. Thus "Zen" in
> not allowed even in singular form.
> Doug Clulow
As with 'Earth', 'Christianity' and 'Jupiter'. However, 'earth' is
acceptable. I think scrabble tiles should all be lower case, allowing a
more intuitive grasp of this rule, at least.
Watch those verby nouns, Maureen.
Oh, and btw, are 'marine' and 'Maureen' homophones for you, Maureen?
(They aren't for me.)
--
Psst
Doug Clulow
dav...@jdc.org.il (Davida Chazan) wrote:
>I say, wasn't that clu...@cleo.murdoch.edu.au (Doug Clulow) who wrote:
snip
>>The rules of scrabble prohibit the use of proper nouns. Thus "Zen" in
>>not allowed even in singular form.
>Really?
Yes, really.
Rule eight. "... except those spelt with an initial capital letter
.."
I believe this is usually applies to proper nouns, and certainly
applies in the case of "Zen"
Doug
Doug Clulow