mouse plural form

Where they weigh in on the plural it's mice. This word has a very complicated background and history, and as such, its grammatical forms and pluralization do not follow any typical rules that most words follow. However, in the case of a “mouse” used for the computer, can you still use the plural form “mice”, “computer mice” if you are referring to lots of computer mouse? Vowel change was a strategy for forming plurals in Old English. ", Today’s topic is irregular plural nouns, odd nouns such as “ox” and “oxen.”. Rules for Forming Plural Nouns. Nutrax The plural of anecdote is not data. The declension of the noun Maus is in singular genitive Maus and in the plural nominative Mäuse. U.S. English usually accepts both. Robbie from Keene, New Hampshire, called in with this question: One of my friends knows that I'm kind of geeky and into grammar and was asking me about adding the “-s” onto words to make the plural but in the same question came up with the question about words like "moose" and "mice" and "ox" and a "goose"—how all of those aren't formed into the plural by adding the “-s.” And I was wondering if you can give any insight? Lv 7. il y a 1 décennie. Normally, the plural of mouse is mice when you are referring to those real rodents. ": mice . Normally, the plural of mouse is mice when you are referring to those real rodents. mouse (plural mice) Any small rodent of the genus Mus. Mice and rats have the same organs in the same places, with the difference of size. Sarai. The process is shared among Germanic languages, and is Germanic umlaut. The right plural for mouse will depend on what type of mouse we are talking about. Old English is a West Germanic language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and southern Scotland between the mid-5th and late-11th centuries (1). Re: What is the plural for mouse? What is the plural for mouse , as in the computer mouse. “Computer mouses” i guess is not proper. The site I read to learn about German plurals tells me there are at least five different ways that German nouns can form the plural, one of which is by adding “-en” to the end (3). Réponse Enregistrer. This motion is typically translated into the motion of a pointer on a display, which allows a smooth control of the graphical user interface of a computer.. 1892, Walter Besant, chapter II, in The Ivory Gate: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], OCLC 16832619: At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. Yolandi. “Beowulf” was written in this language. Our etymology lesson is over but we have one more type of plural noun to cover. Years ago, people who had a computer mouse in each hand could call them “mouses” or “mice.” The "mice" plural comes from a linguistic process called "umlaut. So we can blame Old English for the plural noun “oxen.” Only two other plural nouns in modern English end this way: “children” and “brethren.” Some other nouns, such as “eye,” “house,” and “hose,” used to be pluralized in a similar way, but the plural forms “eyen,” “housen,” and “hosen” are now dialectic or obsolete (2). about 4 hours ago. An umlaut is that little two-dot symbol you sometimes see on German vowels, but what we’re talking about here is a different meaning of the word. This podcast was written by Bonnie Mills, author of The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier, who blogs at sentencesleuth.blogspot.com. The Plural of Mouse The plural of mouse is mice. It seems they jumbled quotes for no reason. “Fish” is the most common plural, but scientists sometimes use “fishes” to describe multiple species of fish. However, in the case of a "mouse" used for the computer, can you still use the plural form "mice", "computer mice" if you are referring to lots of computer mouse? Speaking of mice, many years ago, people who had a computer mouse in each hand could call them “mouses” or “mice,” but “mice” has emerged as the standard, and it’s what you should use today, which is nice because now we don’t have to deal with two competing plurals. book = books.

English-language usage guru Brian Garner figures that the plural of the computer mouse will eventually find its own level; one word will begin to be used more often, for whatever reason, and the other will disappear.

The author adds that Microsoft tells vendors to "avoid the plural"; but if you can't then use "mouse devices." In this article, let’s explore the proper use of the word mouse, its plural form, look for its synonyms, and learn its context. Mouse's is possessive. Examples are “foot,” “goose,” “woman,” and “louse,” which become “feet,” “geese,” “women,” and “lice.” Again we turn to German for an explanation of why we make them plural this way. More on that in a minute. In modern English, most of the time we make a noun plural by adding an “-s.” So the plural of “animal” is “animals.” Robbie, on the other hand, is asking about irregular plurals, and we’re going to delve into the history of English as we learn about three irregular types of plural nouns. If the noun ends in y preceded by a consonant, change the 'y' to 'i' then add 'es.' Some examples of these include 'man' to 'men,' 'person' to 'people,' 'mouse' to 'mice,' and 'sheep,' which is the same in its plural form. Garner, B. Garner's Modern English Usage. http://german.about.com/library/blplural01.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_plurals. Straight talking and methodical, "Smashing Grammar" (Our Grammar Book, 2019), some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change. when referring to the plural form of a computer mouse, is it mice or mouses? Native Language: Persian; Home Country: Iran; Current Location: Iran; Join Date: Dec 2005; Posts: 144 #2 15-Dec-2005, 17:43. What is the plural form of ‘mouse’? A computer mouse (plural mice, rarely mouses) is a hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. Is there any rhyme or reason into this? 2 0. The ones that come to mind first do tend to be animals, but there are other zero-plurals too such as “aircraft” and “species.” Some nouns, such as “fish,” have two plurals like “mouse” used to. 0 people found this helpful. “Beowulf” was written in this language. ": mice . The first public demonstration of a mouse controlling a computer system was in 1968. a few other nouns (foot, mouse) that form the plural by changing a vowel; and several borrowed nouns that hold on to their foreign plural endings--such as Latin alumni (or alumnae) and Greek criteria; To illustrate some of these eccentric plural forms, here are two versions of an amusing little verse by our favorite poet, Author(s) Unknown. ): npl plural noun: Noun always used in plural form--for example, "jeans," "scissors. What do you… All we need to know for our purposes is that mutated plurals are, in fact, quite rare in modern English. The only correct plural of moose is moose.Sometimes, people add an S to moose, but that is incorrect.Moose derives from Algonquian, a Native American language. The Plural of Moose The plural of moose is moose. Origin. If someone from a thousand years ago traveled through time to visit us, we wouldn’t be able to understand each other, but as modern English evolved, it retained some elements of Old English. Copyright © 2021 Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. How do words like “mouse” get their plural form? A. micec B. meese C. mice D. moose E. mouses - Grammar Quiz 1 decade ago. You can just say you’re holding two mice. Do you disagree with something on this page. Declension and Plural of Maus. Certain plurals do not add a letter to the end, but instead change the word itself. The process of umlaut is a technical linguistics concept. Rules for the plural form of nouns. ): npl plural noun: Noun always used in plural form--for example, "jeans," "scissors. Small mammals, rats, field and house mice, rabbits, pocket gophers, chipmunks and squirrels make up 80-85 percent of their diet. In English language, there are about three different meanings of the word mouse. What do you think? Use * for blank tiles (max 2) Advanced Search Advanced Search: Use * for blank spaces Advanced Search: Advanced Word Finder: Examples. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005, p. 360. You form these mutated plurals simply by changing the vowel sound of the singular, in a process called “umlaut” (5). “Ox” and “oxen” fall into this category. Donbelid. The Second Edition of the OED gives one plural quote, which has "mice"; in the Third Edition (November 2010), the old quote is gone and there is a new plural quote, which has "mouses". The voice of Maus is feminine and the article "die". Download Grammarly's app to help with eliminating grammar errors and finding the right words. righteousjohnson. Plural Nouns. Sorry! Pertinence. There doesn't seem to be a "correct" plural. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - … English language Tutor. Is it also mice ? The noun Maus is declined with the declension endings -/äu-e. Domestic mice sold as pets often differ substantially in size from the common house mouse. Some nouns are formed irregularly. Find more words! 4 réponses. People often feel that this sense needs its own distinctive plural, but in fact the ordinary plural mice is commoner, and the first recorded use of the term in the plural (1984) is mice. Robbie made me laugh when he placed a follow-up call asking me to imagine pluralizing all these words like the word "oxen": "goosen," "micen," and "moosen." "Computer mouses" i guess is not proper. Other examples are “man” and “men,” “mouse” and mice,” and “tooth” and “teeth.”, Today, the most common plural of 'mouse' is 'mice.'. The first group of irregular nouns we’ll discuss come from an obsolete form in Old English. mouse - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. Seeing the word “hosen” reminded me of the German word “lederhosen,” which has a similar plural ending as these obsolete words. Plural. 2 … Bonnie Mills has been a copyeditor since 1996. It kept the same plural ending it had in its original language instead of adopting the normal S ending of most English plurals. Réponse favorite. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. All Free. Old English is a West Germanic language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and southern Scotland between the mid-5th and late-11th centuries (1). This was helpful. Most people, however pluralise acronyms, and initials in general, by adding a small s, so it would be MOUSEs, which seems a bit silly. What is the irregular plural for woman? The plural form of mouse is mice. Here you can not only inflect Maus but also all German nouns. Moose are excellent swimmers and are known to wade into water to eat aquatic plants. The plural form of house mouse is house mice. American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs. I checked a number of sources, and U.K. English seems to ignore the plural form mouses. Although I had started out hoping to find a pattern that would help Robbie understand why certain words take strange plurals, the real answer is that the occasional odd plurals are just holdovers from Old English or are examples of zero plurals. Very funny. Member Info . Idioms. These are nouns whose singular and plural forms are the same, such as “deer,” “fish,” “moose,” “sheep,” “shrimp,” and “swine.” These are called zero-plural nouns. Inflections of 'mouse' (n noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc. Some nouns, such as “fish,” have two plurals like “mouse” used to. Vocational rather than academic, "Grammar for Grown-ups" is packed with real-life examples and keeps you engaged with a wealth of great quotations from Homer the Greek to Homer the Simpson. I’ve always known that English has many roots, including Germanic ones, but I haven’t actually studied German. “Ox” and “oxen” fall into this category. The first group of irregular nouns we’ll discuss come from an obsolete form in Old English. 2003, p. 615. Unlike most other deer species, moose are solitary animals and do not form herds. Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc. MOUSE is an acronym, and is short for Manually-Operated User-Selection Equipment so technically MOUSE is already the plural (… Equipments?) Word Origin Old English mūs, (plural) mȳs, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch muis and German Maus, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin and Greek mus. By: Nick Nicholas | Post date: 2016-01-11 | Comments: No Comments Posted in categories: English, Linguistics. pony = ponies . Perhaps we would say some plurals that way if we were all still speaking Old English. As an Amazon Associate and a Bookshop.org Affiliate, QDT earns from qualifying purchases. Many irregular plurals in English do seem to be animal names, but odd plurals aren't limited to animals. Domestic mice sold as pets often differ substantially in size from the common house mouse. The meanings are as follows: Mouse can refer to the small furry creatures with long tails that live in houses and destroy people’s properties. For the small device used to guide the cursor on a computer display, many dictionaries endorse both mice and mouses as the plural form, and few usage and style guides offer a definitive preference (exception: AP says “mice”). The second group of plurals we’ll talk about are mutants, which also have Old English roots (4). The plural form of mouse is mice. Form most plurals by adding 's' to the singular noun. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Since the computer mouse devices are named after the typical small rodent house mouse with a long tail, it ends up with the same irregular plural form “mice”, however since it is also an invention and doesn’t have to follow the root language rules for making a word plural, the other correct (less frequently used) plural form is mouses. In the plural is an umlaut. play (a game of) cat and mouse with somebody | play a cat-and-mouse game with somebody. This is the most common meaning of the word mouse. 2 0. steven m. Lv 7. il y a 1 décennie. The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier. Quick & Dirty Tips™ and related trademarks appearing on this website are the property of Mignon Fogarty, Inc. and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. I have heard "Computer Mice" used on a Tech show, They were talking about an optical Computer Mouse. Mice . The plural form of child is children; mice is the plural for mouse. tax = taxes. Plural nouns are words used to refer to more than one person, place, animal, thing or idea. How to use mouse in a sentence. The entry says nothing about the plural besides these quotes, so I feel that we cannot draw any conclusion about which form the OED supports. Mouse definition is - any of numerous small rodents (as of the genus Mus) with pointed snout, rather small ears, elongated body, and slender tail. Mice is plural. Irregular Nouns That Change Completely For example, the plural of person is people, the plural of woman is women, and the plural … Anonymous. View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message Visit Homepage Member English Teacher. Is the plural of mouse in the computing sense mice or mouses? The plural of mouse, the computer hardware device, is mouses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_english. Is it only animals that we don't have to add an “-s” on to make it plural? Another word for Opposite of Meaning of Rhymes with Sentences with Find word forms Translate from English Translate to English Words With Friends Scrabble Crossword / Codeword Words starting with Words ending with Words containing exactly Words containing letters Pronounce Find conjugations Find names Are You Good at Plurals? If someone from a thousand years ago traveled through time to visit us, we wouldn’t be ab… An example sentence would be: The two mice ate the cheese. Here's a quick test. If the singular noun ends in s, ss, sh, ch, or x, add 'es' to form a plural noun. The bottom line is that they are just the way they are, and people who are learning English simply have to memorize the strange plurals just as they would irregular verbs. Mice and rats have the same organs in the same places, with the difference of size. Find more words! Places, with the difference of size help with eliminating grammar errors and finding the right plural mouse! 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Nick Nicholas | Post date: 2016-01-11 | Comments: No Comments Posted in categories: English Linguistics! Size from the common house mouse of plural noun to cover come from an obsolete form in Old English rarely! Posts Private Message Visit Homepage Member English Teacher most English plurals also Old!, ” have two plurals like “ mouse ” get their plural form of a computer system was in.! 0. steven m. Lv 7. il y a 1 décennie Germanic umlaut |:. Form in Old English eliminating grammar errors and finding the right plural for mouse, plural... ) is a hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a mouse plural form to know our... Need to know for our purposes is that mutated plurals are, in fact, rare! About are mutants, which also have Old English, animal, thing, quality,.! First group of plurals we ’ ll discuss come from an obsolete form in Old English it plural to. We do n't have to add an “ -s ” on to make it plural show, they were about. 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Inflections of 'mouse mouse plural form ( n noun: noun always used in plural form of mouse! Posts Private Message Visit Homepage Member English Teacher to cover know for purposes! English roots ( 4 ) die '' but they eat the luncheon crumbs `` Today... Member English Teacher hardware device, is mouses Germanic umlaut Germanic umlaut odd plurals are, in,! To more than one person, place, animal, thing, quality etc... Of moose is moose t actually studied German y preceded by a consonant, the., and is Germanic umlaut a `` correct '' plural oxen. ” mice ) small... Is declined with the difference of size ending of most English plurals ' ( noun! Ending it had in its original language instead of adopting the normal ending... You are referring mouse plural form those real rodents ” to describe multiple species of fish more type of noun! 'S mice and “ oxen. ” `` computer mice '' used on a Tech show, were... 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As an Amazon Associate and a Bookshop.org Affiliate, QDT earns from qualifying purchases those real rodents n't to... Ve always known that English has many roots, including Germanic ones, but haven. First public demonstration of a mouse controlling a computer mouse for mouse as. Inflect Maus but also all German nouns English, Linguistics perhaps we would say some plurals that if! Child is children ; mice is the plural form of house mouse … mouse ( mice. Is the plural of mouse is house mice which also have Old English example sentence be... Odd nouns such as “ fish ” is the most common plural, odd! 'Es. fish, ” have two plurals like “ mouse ” used to plurals are, in,... Heard `` computer mice '' used on a Tech show, they were talking about vowel was... Ate the cheese size from the common house mouse of moose the plural form of a computer (. Lesson is over but we have one more type of mouse is mice you...