The General Rule
That is, the principal noun in the phrase. An attorney general is the chief lawyer for a government. General is acting as adjective rather than a noun, describing the attorney's job. So if you have two such lawyers, you would have two attorneys general.Feb 20, 2015Is the US Attorney General singular or plural?
Apr 23, 2012 · But, the British and Americans differ on the method of pluralizing attorney general. Attorney general, made plural, forms attorneys general in American English, attorney generals in British English. Joyce Gram on April 23, 2012 6:55 pm. When in …
What are regular plurals in English?
Jul 03, 2021 · Share Perfect English Grammar The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking everywhere for free. Quick Upload; ... attorney general’s brother-in-law brothers-in-law opinion ... 9.5 Pluralizing Acronyms and Initialisms Acronyms and initialisms are usually made plural by adding -s.
How do you use Attorney General in a sentence?
It is, passersby, not passerbys. The plural of the word is used on the root or main word, in this case, passer. It's like using the plural of attorney general, which is attorneys general, not attorney generals. It's the word attorney that is plural, not the word general. And there is no such thing as a general concensus.
How do you make the plural of a word?
Rule: Capitalize the titles of high-ranking government officials when used with or before their names. Do not capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name. The president will address Congress. All senators are expected to attend. The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a special task force.
What is the correct plural for attorney general?
attorneys general“General” here, though, is an adjective, not a noun; you can think of them as “general attorneys.” So the plural goes on the noun, and the proper form is “attorneys general.”Mar 21, 2016
Which is correct attorney-generals or attorneys general?
In American English, attorneys general is the correct plural form. The British prefer attorney-generals (the Brits have long hyphenated the phrase).May 1, 2013
How do you make the Attorney General possessive?
Why is it “Attorneys General” (plural) but not “Attorney's General” (singular possessive)? With “Attorney General,” general modifies the noun attorney. Thus, when there is more than one Attorney General, you would write “Attorneys General.” This makes sense. You make the noun plural by adding an “s” to it.Feb 18, 2013
How do you use attorney general in a sentence?
He was elected state attorney general in 1974 and served in that post for ten years. The attorney general has not talked about that program. This appointment and department were voided when the attorney general ruled the law unconstitutional. He became attorney general of the same circuit from 1918 to 1925.
Why do they say attorneys general?
The term was originally used to refer to any person who holds a general power of attorney to represent a principal in all matters. In the common law tradition, anyone who represents the state, especially in criminal prosecutions, is such an attorney.
Is the Attorney General a general?
Merrick GarlandUnited States / Attorney generalMerrick Brian Garland is an American lawyer and jurist serving as the 86th United States attorney general since March 2021. He served as a circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1997 to 2021. Wikipedia
What is the plural possessive of attorney at law?
The plural form of attorney-at-law is attorneys-at-law.
What is plural of power of attorney?
Noun. power of attorney (countable and uncountable, plural powers of attorney)
What is plural for secretary?
secretary. noun. sec·re·tary | \ ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē \ plural secretaries.
What is another name for the attorney general?
In this page you can discover 12 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for attorney general, like: a.g., chief legal advisor, Attorney General of the United States, chief law officer, chief of the Department of Justice, United States Attorney General, US Attorney General, district attorney, ...
What are the duties and responsibilities of the attorney general?
As the chief officer of the Department of Justice, the attorney general enforces federal laws, provides legal counsel in federal cases, interprets the laws that govern executive departments, heads federal jails and penal institutions, and examines alleged violations of federal laws.
What is the role of the Solicitor General?
The task of the Office of the Solicitor General is to supervise and conduct government litigation in the United States Supreme Court. Virtually all such litigation is channeled through the Office of the Solicitor General and is actively conducted by the Office.May 24, 2021
The General Rule
Usually you pluralize a compound noun or a noun phrase the same way you pluralize a noun: you add the plural prefix –s or –es to thenoun (irregular nouns notwithstanding). The trick in something like attorney general is to identify what's called the head noun. That is, the principal noun in the phrase.
Plural Changes the Meaning
One phrase that stumped us in the original discussion was needle in a haystack. Needle is our head noun, so it seems our plural should be needles in a haystack. But that changes the meaning of the phrase; after all it's easier to find two or more needles in a haystack than just one.
Two Nouns of Equal Weight
Another problematic phrase is one with two nouns of equal weight, such as block and tackle. The term describes a pulley system used to lift heavy objects: one pulley called by its two chief parts.
Block and Tackles, Attorney Generals, and Other Oddities
Over time, terms like block and tackle become greater than the sum of their parts. The words are used together so often that we become accustomed to thinking of those parts as one unit. The result is that we put the suffix on the end of the unit. In the early patriots' barns there might have been several block and tackles.
How Do You Choose?
First, check your dictionary. Dictionaries record not only plurals but also variations of plurals. Merriam-Webster Unabridged, for example, lists tablespoonfuls as the plural and tablespoonsful as a less common variation.
Is "attorney general" a postnominative?
But “attorneys general” seems stilted and odd to many people, who prefer treating such compound designations like military ranks: A reference to more than one brigadier general, for example, would mention “brigadier generals,” not “brigadiers general,” even though general, recall, was originally a postnominative adjective.
Is "general" an adjective?
The former treatment disregards that attorney is the key element; general, in this usage , is an adjective, not a noun. (This reverse placement of adjective and noun is a legacy of the French origin of the term.) But “attorneys general” seems stilted and odd to many people, who prefer treating such compound designations like military ranks: A ...
Can a closed compound consist of two nouns combined in one word?
But there are exceptions, as in reference to more than one passerby; that’s because, unlike the examples given above, this closed compound does not consist of two nouns combined in one word. Passersby, too, observes the general rule that the changeable element receives the plural inflection.
What is the plural of "general"?
Also postmasters, secretaries, consuls, and surgeons general. The “general” in these compounds originated as an adjective opposed to “special” or “particular.”. In the UK it is commonly pluralized as “attorney generals,” but in the US we have decided to dig in our etymological heels and make an example ...
What is the proper plural of "persona"?
The proper, full-on Latin plural (“persona” being a feminine noun) is “personae non gratae.”. 14. Curricula vitae. “Curriculum vitae” means “course of life” in Latin. Some go with “curriculums vitae” on this, while others take up the Latin plural “curricula vitae.”.
What does "errant" mean in the word "knight-errant"?
The “errant” in “knight-errant”—that staple of medieval literature, the wandering, adventure-seeking knight— goes back to the same root as “itinerant” and “itinerary,” Latin iter, journey. 11. Poets laureate. “Laureate” is an adjective from the Latin for “crowned with a laurel.”. Careful with this one, though.
What is the difference between "total" and "simple"?
This was more common in the 19th century, before “total” became a noun. 7. Fees simple. In legal terms a fee (related to “fief”) is an owned piece of land, and “simple” is an adjective meaning without complications, free and clear from other claims on it. 8. Heirs apparent.
Why do we put adjectives after nouns?
But every once in a while, we put the adjective after the noun. Often this is because it comes from a language where adjective-after-noun is the norm, namely French. Much of our legal and military terminology comes from French and Latin, and some noun-adjective compounds, like “attorney general,” came with it.
What is coup d'état?
A coup is a blow or strike. In English we follow the French way of not pronouncing the “p” in “coup d’état,” and in the plural, we add another unpronounced French letter just for good measure. (Same for “coups de grace.”)
What is a body politic?
Over the centuries “body politic” has been used to refer to offices held by individuals that are passed down through succession (King, Bishop, Abbot), society considered as a whole, or the state/nation. In each case, “politic” is an adjective. 10. Knights-errant.
Who will address Congress?
The president will address Congress. All senators are expected to attend. The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a special task force. Governor Connelly, Lieutenant Governor Martinez, and Senators James and Hennessy will attend the meeting. Rule: Capitalize a title when used as a direct address even when ...
Do you capitalize a title in a letter?
Guideline: Though there is no established rule on writing titles in the complimentary closing of a letter, we recommend capitalizing a person’s title when it follows the name on the address or signature line. However, you may also leave it in lowercase since titles are generally not capitalized when following a name in text.
When to add an S in a compound?
When a compound noun in the form [container]-"ful", by far the safest option is to add an "s" to the end to form the plural. However, it might be acceptable to add an "s" to the first half of the compound.
What is compound noun?
Compound nouns are nouns made up of two or more words. Sometimes, there are spaces between the words in compound nouns. Sometimes, there are hyphens between the words, and, sometimes, the words are merged to form a single word. Sometimes, all three versions exist! For example:
Is "court martial" a plural word?
If there is no principal word, follow the usual rules for forming a plural, which usually means adding "s" to the end of the word. * "Courts martial" is also an acceptable plural of "court martial.". This version is used by those who deem "court" to be the principal word.
How are plurals of a few nouns formed?
The plurals of a few nouns are formed from the singular by adding -n or -en, stemming from the Old English weak declension. Only the following three are commonly found:
Why are some words of foreign origin not plural?
Some words of foreign origin are much better known in their (foreign- morphology) plural form, and are often not even recognized by English speakers as having plural form; descriptively, in English morphology many of these simply are not in plural form, because English has naturalized the foreign plural as the English singular. Usage of the original singular may be considered pedantic, hypercorrective, or incorrect. In the examples below, the original plural is now commonly used as a singular, and in some cases a regular English plural (effectively a double plural) has been formed from it.
What is the plural of "anima"?
Usually, in borrowing words from Latin, the endings of the nominative are used: nouns whose nominative singular ends in -a (first declension) have plurals in -ae (anima, animae); nouns whose nominative singular ends in -m (second declension neuter) have plurals in -a (stadium, stadia; datum, data).
What is the plural morpheme?
The plural morpheme in English is a sibilant suffixed to the end of most nouns. Regular English plurals fall into three classes, depending upon the sound that ends the singular form:
What are some examples of singular words?
Certain words which were originally plural in form have come to be used almost exclusively as singulars (usually uncountable); for example billiards, measles, news, mathematics, physics, etc. Some of these words, such as news, are strongly and consistently felt as singular by fluent speakers. These words are usually marked in dictionaries with the phrase "plural in form but singular in construction" (or similar wording). Others, such as aesthetics, are less strongly or consistently felt as singular; for the latter type, the dictionary phrase "plural in form but singular or plural in construction" recognizes variable usage .
What is a headless word?
In The Language Instinct, linguist Steven Pinker discusses what he calls "headless words", typically bahuvrihi compounds, such as lowlife and flatfoot, in which life and foot are not heads semantically; that is, a lowlife is not a type of life, and a flatfoot is not a type of foot. When the common form of such a word is singular, it is treated as if it has a regular plural, even if the final constituent of the word is usually pluralized in an irregular fashion. Thus the plural of lowlife is lowlifes, not "lowlives", according to Pinker. Other proposed examples include:
What is the trend with loanwords?
The general trend with loanwords is toward what is called Anglicisation or naturalisation, that is, the re-formation of the word and its inflections as normal English words. Many nouns have settled on, or acquired a modern form from the original (usually Latin). Other nouns have become Anglicised, taking on the normal "s" ending. In some cases, both forms are still competing.
The General Rule
- Usually you pluralize a compound noun or a noun phrase the same way you pluralize a noun: you add the plural prefix –s or –es to thenoun (irregular nouns notwithstanding). The trick in something like attorney generalis to identify what's called the head noun. That is, the principal noun in the phrase. An attorney general is the chief lawyer for a g...
Plural Changes The Meaning
- One phrase that stumped us in the original discussion was needle in a haystack. Needle is our head noun, so it seems our plural should be needles in a haystack. But that changes the meaning of the phrase; after all it's easier to find two or more needles in a haystack than just one. And looking for a needle in haystacks might be difficult, but it too changes the original meaning. Nee…
Two Nouns of Equal Weight
- Another problematic phrase is one with two nouns of equal weight, such as block and tackle.The term describes a pulley system used to lift heavy objects: one pulley called by its two chief parts. Logically, we might pluralize both nouns, since both are of equal value: blocks and tackles.But this presents two problems. The lesser problem is a possible confusion with block and tackle as spo…
Block and tackles, Attorney Generals, and Other Oddities
- Over time, terms like block and tackle become greater than the sum of their parts. The words are used together so often that we become accustomed to thinking of those parts as one unit. The result is that we put the suffix on the end of the unit. In the early patriots' barns there might have been several block and tackles. The same thing happens with back-and-forth. You can have sev…
How Do You Choose?
- First, check your dictionary. Dictionaries record not only plurals but also variations of plurals. Merriam-Webster Unabridged, for example, lists tablespoonfuls as the plural and tablespoonsful as a less common variation. If your term or its plural isn't in your dictionary, stop to think about whether you understand the phrase as individual parts (add the suffix to the head noun) or as on…
Attorneys General
Also postmasters, secretaries, consuls, and surgeons general. The “general” in these compounds originated as an adjective opposed to “special” or “particular.” In the UK it is commonly pluralized as “attorney generals,” but in the US we have decided to dig in our etymological heels and make an example of this plural withi…
Courts-Martial
- Here “martial” is the adjective for military. So “courts-martial” is preferred, but “court-martials” is also acceptable.
Fees Simple
- In legal terms a fee (related to “fief”) is an owned piece of land, and “simple” is an adjective meaning without complications, free and clear from other claims on it.
Heirs Apparent
- Heirs apparent (first in line regardless of whether anyone else will be born) have a leg up on heirs presumptive (first in line unless any heirs apparent are born).
Bodies Politic
- Over the centuries “body politic” has been used to refer to offices held by individuals that are passed down through succession (King, Bishop, Abbot), society considered as a whole, or the state/nation. In each case, “politic” is an adjective.
Knights-Errant
- The “errant” in “knight-errant”—that staple of medieval literature, the wandering, adventure-seeking knight—goes back to the same root as “itinerant” and “itinerary,” Latin iter, journey.
Poets Laureate
- “Laureate” is an adjective from the Latin for “crowned with a laurel.” Careful with this one, though. Don’t go crazy and start saying “Nobels laureate.” A “poet laureate” is a poet, but a Nobel laureate is not a Nobel. Use “Nobel laureates.” And if you want to seem less hifalutin’, use “poet laureates” too.
Professors Emeriti
- One “professor emeritus,” two “professors emeritus.” But if you want to go whole hog, use “professors emeriti” with the Latin plural adjective. Your professors emeriti will love it.
Personae Non Gratae
- There are a few acceptable ways to pluralize “persona non grata,” the Latin term for unwelcome person. It’s often used as a whole descriptive phrase for a plural (“they were persona non grata”) or pluralized in English (personas non grata). The proper, full-on Latin plural (“persona” being a feminine noun) is “personae non gratae.”
Curricula Vitae
- “Curriculum vitae” means “course of life” in Latin. Some go with “curriculums vitae” on this, while others take up the Latin plural “curricula vitae.” And a few push it a little too far with “curriculum vitarum” (courses of lives). When in doubt, use "CVs."
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