"Cavalry vs Cavalries? Cavalry!" Topic
5 Posts
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Editor in Chief Bill | 01 Nov 2019 9:04 a.m. PST |
You were asked – TMP link So according to the dictionary cavalries is the plural of cavalry. Yet I can't think of a single book I've read that uses that word. It's always just cavalry. And unlike cannon where the dictionary says both cannon and cannons are accepted plurals, when it comes to cavalry, the only plural is cavalries. 74% said "cavalry" 9% said "cavalries" |
gisbygeo | 01 Nov 2019 5:13 p.m. PST |
Cavalries: 'There are many similarities in uniform and doctrine between the cavalries of several nations' |
DrSkull | 02 Nov 2019 7:39 a.m. PST |
I'm just happy when my students don't write "Calvary". |
CeruLucifus | 02 Nov 2019 1:35 p.m. PST |
Isn't this an example of a meta-plural? A noun for a group is inherently plural, but we pluralize to signify multiple groups? Cavalry is a section of an army. Cavalryman is a singular soldier of that section. But several cavalry sections would be pluralized, especially if under separate commanders. E.g., the general dispatched his adjutant cavalryman with his message to the cavalry: the allies would combine their cavalries. Like infantryman / infantry / infantries. Or army man / army / armies. Or grouping airplanes into a wing and wings in an air command. (the "-man" suffix doesn't singularize here; "wingman" means something else than member of a wing.) |
von Schwartz | 02 Nov 2019 6:52 p.m. PST |
Cavalries: 'There are many similarities in uniform and doctrine between the cavalries of several nations' You just as easily write that as Cavalries: 'There are many similarities in uniform and doctrine between the cavalry of several nations' |
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