when do you say attorneys general and attorney generals

by Prof. Nellie Bode IV 6 min read

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.

“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.” Unless you're British. Then you can call them “attorney-generals,” but don't forget the hyphen.Mar 21, 2016

Full Answer

Is it Attorney General or Attorney General?

Mar 04, 2017 · In the phrase attorney general, attorney is the main part, and the word general is descriptive—it tells us what kind of attorney we have to deal with. It’s the same rule we follow for similar phrases such as sister-in-law and editor in chief. You make the main noun plural: I have two sisters-in-law. The Atlantic has had 14 editors in chief.

How are State Attorneys General appointed and addressed?

Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'? 'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

How do you address an attorney general in an email?

When we say “general” in “attorney general,” “surgeon general,” and “postmater general,” it is not meant as a rank as in the military sense, and it is not even a noun. It is an adjective meaning “chief or principal.” It is the same sense as in “general manger.” The confusion comes from the adjective following the noun.

What is the role of the California Attorney General?

Feb 18, 2013 · 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. The WSJ Law Blog wrote a …

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Why do we say Attorneys General instead of attorney-generals?

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

What is the plural form for attorney general?

From Longman Business Dictionary atˌtorney ˈgeneral noun (plural attorneys general) [countable] the chief lawyer in the legal system of the US and BritainThe state attorney general alleged that the company forced its dealers to agree to charge minimum prices for certain televisions.

What is the possessive of Attorney General?

Thus attorneys general's is correct. Attorney General's is the possessive form of Attorney General. OP is looking for the plural possessive. That is, the possessive of Attorneys General.Feb 9, 2020

How do you say attorney in plural?

attorney. noun.at·​tor·​ney | \ ə-ˈtər-nē \plural attorneys.attorney. noun.at·​tor·​ney | \ ə-ˈtər-nē \plural attorneys.

Is attorneys general correct grammar?

“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

What is a general attorney?

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

How do you make Attorney General possessive?

Applying these rules to attorney general, we see that the plural is attorneys general, the singular possessive is attorney general's, and the plural possessive is attorneys general's.

What is plural for forgery?

forgery. noun. forg·​ery | \ ˈfȯr-jə-rē \ plural forgeries.Feb 24, 2022

What is plural for secretary?

secretary. noun. sec·​re·​tary | \ ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē \ plural secretaries.

Is attorney and advocate same?

A lawyer is a basic term that refers to any person who has a law degree....Difference between a Lawyer and an Advocate.LawyerAdvocateThe term 'lawyer' is very general and used to designate anyone having degree of lawOn the other hand, an Advocate is a Law graduate enrolled with the bar council and eligible to represent his client in the court of law.4 more rows•Apr 26, 2021

What is singular of attorney?

The plural of "attorney" is "attorneys." You may have in mind the rule that English nouns ending in "-y" change the "y" to "i" before adding "es" to make the plural form, but this rule applies only when the sound/letter preceding the final "-y" is a consonant, e.g., "city/cities" and "dummy/dummies." The "e" in " ...Sep 14, 2016

What is an attorney called?

A lawyer (also called attorney, counsel, or counselor) is a licensed professional who advises and represents others in legal matters. Today's lawyer can be young or old, male or female.Sep 10, 2019