h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Skiing isn't the only word having double i - there's also the
plural form of radius: radii.

Thanks, Ghoti ~ or is it Fish? Actually, you've made me realise there are several English words with 'ii': genii, taxiing, and thanks to computers ASCII.

As this seems to be where the pedants live. What is the correct plural of virus? And where do you stand on the "the data is" vs "the data are" debate?

CH

I incline towards 'the data are', but since people always pull me up on it, and I have to spend the next ten minutes explaining to them that the word 'data' is a plural and its singular is 'datum', I try and say things in such a way that I avoid having to say things in that way.

e.g. instead of saying 'the data don't agree with what you're saying', I say 'what you're saying isn't backed up by the data'.

How do you stand with 'England were knocked out by Romania' vs 'England was knocked out by Romania'?

if it's football I don't give a toss

I see your point....mmmmmmm....I am not the best person to ask. My friend Jupita (http://www.h2g2.com/U92134) has co-edited some of my articles for grammer and stuff, but she rarely visits the site anymore.

I would favour "was" as it was the team that was knocked out. A team, ie one of them. If it was "The UK were knocked out by numerous sides, including The vatican City" meaning the English, Welsh and scotish teams (Why *do* they allow us three or four teams?) then I would go for "were".

CH

I see your point also, but a team is a group of individuals, so I would probably say 'were'.

You could cop out altogether and say 'The England team was...', since a team is undeniably singular. If you say 'England were knocked out of Euro 2000', then you are obviously not talking about the actual lump of continental shelf that is the country (although our midfield did a creditable imitation). Given the knowledge that Euro 2000 is a football tournament, the sentence MUST be about a group of people.

They allow us 4 teams because of historical reasons - England vs Scotland is the oldest international football fixture in the world. they keep trying to get us to enter as GB, though. This is why we don't enter a team for the Olympics these days - to avoid awkward questions along the lines of 'You play as GB in the Olympics, why not in the World Cup?'

YOu mean the rest of the world actualy want us as one team? I thought thet were all taking the piss, get us to divide our players (not just football) 4 ways.

Why not allow the USA 50 teams?

But I always go with the flow sematically, for eg, the Data/Is/are thing. In formal text, reports etc I always use "are", for informal conversations I use "is" unless I know the other person will hit me if I get it wrong (AEW & BH - if your reading this, that means you)

CH

Why not allow the USA 50 teams?

Firstly, they were a bit slow off the mark with football, so FIFA probably wouldn't have worn the 50 teams scam

Secondly, they're sh*te at football, to the point that they lose to Iran

Viruses is an accepted word in English, but I think it is an Americanisation (or should that be AmericaniZation? I can never tell). The word is derived from Latin (like genius, radius, cactus, succubus etc.) so presumably viri is allowed. But my father is a microbiologist and he occasionally writes virii (which would appear to be pronounced vie-ree-i but isn't), I don't know whether that's correct.

All I can say is that I happen to be a partner in a venture called Platypi Web Design, although we KNOW that isn't permissible but think it ought to be.

Where do y'all stand on the word that means more than one mongoose?

I was told at an early age (and have just confirmed in my Longman Dictionary of the English Language) that the plural of mongoose is mongooses, and not mongeese (except, it says, in humorous use).

This is presumably because the word has nothing, etymologically, to do with the word 'goose'. It apparently comes from the Pakrit word 'manguso', and is a phonetic word that we've appropriated.

OK thanks. I know that my dictionary said that as well, I just wondered whether anyone concurred.

P.S. I heartily agree with the whole "that datum/those data" thing. But every time I use the word datum people look at me funny.

I never actually use datum as the idea of a single peice of data is abstract. What makes up a datum in a database? a record? a field? a characteer in the field? hence for me everything is data, the arguement is over if data is a collective noun or a plural.

CH

Ooopps write out 100 times I before E, make that "piece of data"

CH

The only time I use the word datum is in the sense of 'a single point from which all measurements are taken', otherwise it takes too much explanation. I usually chicken out and find a simile if there is only one datum.

I _do_ use the word 'stadia' instead of 'stadiums', and all the reporting on the World Cup bids '...a leaked FIFA report has placed Emgland's stadiums behind those of Germany and South Africa...' hsa had me gnashing my teeth and muttering 'Stadia, it's stadia!' under my breath.

I heartily agree with the stadia thing. But I know people who say "sheeps", so I go spare over any incorrect use of Language English the.

I've just looked at the spelling of my last post. *grins sheepishly*

I think this one should more proerly be in the 'pet hates' forum, but I hate it when people say 'times' instead of 'multiply', as in '... times it by three'. They never seem to say 'over' instead of 'divide' do they?

What about mistakes in English we actually like?

My mum claims she once heard someone directing people past an obstruction in the road by shouting out: 'Pedesteranians this way.'

Mistakes in English we like. It's good, but it'll never catch on.

However, having said that, to relieve the monotony in A-Level physics, a small group of us took to chanting technical and semi-technical words. Someone would shout, for instance, "thermis...", to be followed by the rest yelling "TOR!!!!". Result: "thermisTOR!".

We did this with many words, roTOR, staTOR, reacTOR, milliammetOR (yes, that is slightly wrong), but there was one word that just wouldn't work. It didn't sound right. So, we lengthened it. That word: capacitaTOR.

Anyway, does anyone else get REALLY narked by the grammar checker in Microsoft Word??? Not only does it think Shakespeare should have written "If music is the food of love then play on", it goes further. This is the first example sentence which is gramatically correct.
This is the second example sentence that is gramatically correct.

Only the second of those two sentences will pass its stringent standards. Result: in one generation no-one will use which to join a statement to its description, which is sad. There are more stupidities, but I think I'll get off of my high horse now.