why is it attorneys general and not attorney general's

by Sedrick Spinka Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago 9 min read

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

Why is the Attorney General an important state official?

Mar 04, 2017 · The US has one attorney general, but we have many state attorneys general. 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:

What are the requirements to become an attorney general?

Why? Because it's neither common usage, nor is it logical, as mshades explains (he explains a lot more than the history). Same difference with attorneys general - they are general attorneys, not some kind of general. And what about expressions such …

Why is it dangerous being an attorney?

Words For Things You Didn't Know Have Names. When 'thingamajig' and 'thingamabob' just won't do

Why do attorneys cost so much?

May 18, 2007 · A Campaign to Change "Attorneys General" to "Attorney Generals". By. peter. May 18, 2007 11:30 am ET. Print. Text. Cover the legal beat long enough and certain things begin to irritate. Like why ...

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

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

How do you make Attorney General possessive?

When using a compound term like "attorney general," make the plural with the noun. Thus, more than one "attorney general" is a group of "attorneys general," not "attorney generals" (they're not in the military) and certainly not "attorney general's" (no apostrophes in plurals, remember).

What is the possessive of attorneys general?

Is it Attorneys General's or Attorneys' General? The possessive 's is what's known in grammar as a clitic. A clitic is something that attaches to an entire phrase, as opposed to a suffix or an inflection, which affects only a single word. Thus attorneys general's is correct.Feb 9, 2020

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.

How do you say attorney in plural?

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 hero plural?

hero /ˈhiroʊ/ noun. plural heroes or in sense 3 heros.

Do attorneys fees have apostrophes?

Although inelegant, attorney fees is becoming more common–presumably to avoid making a decision on the apostrophe altogether. The one variant to avoid at all costs is *attorneys fees, which is a possessive form with the apostrophe wrongly omitted.Apr 24, 2013

What is plural for secretary?

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

What is plural for forgery?

forgery /ˈfoɚʤəri/ noun. plural forgeries.

What's the possessive of Chris?

Chris's

If a proper name ends with an s, you can add just the apostrophe or an apostrophe and an s. See the examples below for an illustration of this type of possessive noun. You're sitting in Chris' chair. You're sitting in Chris's chair.

What is the plural of Miss Brown?

The plural of proper nouns is generally formed regularly. It is proper, however, to say the Miss Browns, or the Misses Brown.

Is "general" an adjective?

The adjective comes before noun ... brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general ... thus brigadier generals, major generals, lieutenant generals. General is the noun, not the adjective, in the military rank. Whereas in attorney general, it is the adjective. To add to AnWulf ... nor in the British army.

Is "general" a compound noun?

It's a compound noun where the second word is basically an adjective that describes the preceding noun, or "head.". In this case, "general" describes "attorney.". Ah, the joy of head-first compound nouns. A regular compound noun - "military funeral," for instance - has the head at the end.

What is an attorney general?

Attorneys-General in common law jurisdictions, and jurisdictions with a legal system which is partially derived from the common law tradition, share a common provenance.

Does the Attorney General give legal advice?

In practice, the extent to which the attorney general personally provides legal advice to the government varies between jurisdictions, and even between individual office-holders within the same jurisdiction, often depending on the level and nature of the office-holder's prior legal experience.

What is the role of the Attorney General in Fiji?

In Fiji, the role of the Attorney General is defined as "providing essential legal expertise and support to the Government". More specific functions include "legislative drafting", "legal aid", "the prerogative of mercy" (advising the President), "liquor licensing" and "film censorship".

Is the Attorney General the same as the Minister of Justice?

The Attorney-General attends Cabinet, but the post is not the same as the Minister of Justice. By tradition, persons appointed to the position of Attorney-General have been lawyers. Only two former Attorneys-General have not been lawyers, most recently Dr Michael Cullen who held the post in 2005, and again from 2006.

What is the office of the Attorney General of the Philippines?

The Office of the Solicitor General is the law firm of the Republic of the Philippines. It is tasked with representing the Philippines, the Philippine Government, and all its officials in any litigation or matter requiring the services of a lawyer especially before appellate courts. It is an independent and autonomous office attached to the Department of Justice for budgetary purposes.

When was the Attorney General of Tonga established?

The office of Attorney General was established in Tonga in 1988, and was held jointly with the portfolio of Justice Minister until the two were separated in 2009. The Attorney General is defined as the "Chief Legal Advisor to Government".

What is a non common law office?

What is the job of the Attorney General?

The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United Stateson all legal matters. The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States.

Is "general" a noun?

The title "attorney general" is an example of a noun (attorney) followed by a postpositive adjective(general).[8]". General" is a description of the type of attorney, not a title or rank in itself (as it would be in the military).[8]

What is the role of an attorney general?

As chief legal officers of the states, commonwealths, District of Columbia, and territories of the United States, the role of an attorney general is to serve as counselor to state government agencies and legislatures, and as a representative of the public interest.

What is the People's Lawyer podcast?

The People’s Lawyer is a biweekly podcast from NAAG that explores the role of state and territory attorneys general as chief legal officers and their work protecting the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.

What is the role of a public advocate?

Issuing formal opinions to state agencies. Acting as public advocates in areas such as child support enforcement, consumer protections, antitrust and utility regulation. Proposing legislation. Enforcing federal and state environmental laws. Representing the state and state agencies before the state and federal courts.

State attorneys general are facing issues ranging from racism and sexual harassment to a fatal accident. Their scandals differ, but they have some underlying political dynamics in common

Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson, one of a number of sate AGs who have landed in hot water in recent years. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Public Media)

Sticking It Out

Sometimes AGs know immediately there’s no chance they can weather the storm. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stepped down in 2018, within hours of The New Yorker ’s online publication of a story detailing allegations from four women that he’d physically abused them.

Attorney General vs Solicitor General

At some point in our lives we have all come across the terms Attorney General and Solicitor General, but many of us do not know the difference between Attorney General and Solicitor General. Informally, we associate the terms with two important figures in the legal sphere.

Who is an Attorney General?

Dictionaries define the term Attorney General as the chief law officer of a state or government. In simple terms, the Attorney General is the highest ranking lawyer or attorney in a country; he/she is typically a nation’s foremost legal representative and represents the government in legal actions.

Who is Solicitor General?

The role of a Solicitor General too differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Once again, in most common law jurisdictions, the Solicitor General is typically considered the deputy of the Attorney General or the Assistant to the Attorney General. Thus, in jurisdictions such as the U.S.

What is the difference between Attorney General and Solicitor General?

Although the Attorney General and the Solicitor General both serve as legal representatives of a state, the distinction lies in the hierarchy or superiority of the two.

Overview

Attorneys-general in common law and hybrid jurisdictions

Attorneys-General in common law jurisdictions, and jurisdictions with a legal system which is partially derived from the common law tradition, share a common provenance.
In Australia, the attorney-general is the chief law officer of the Crown and a member of the Cabinet. The Attorney-General is the minister responsible for legal affairs, national and public security, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Michaelia Cashis the current Attorney-General. …

Etymology

In regard to the etymology of the phrase Attorney General, Steven Pinker writes that the earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1292: "Tous attorneyz general purrount lever fins et cirrographer" (All general attorneys may levy fines and make legal documents). The phrase was borrowed from Anglo-Norman French when England was ruled by Normans after the conquest of Englandin the 11th-century. As a variety of French, which was spoken in the law courts, schools, …

Similar offices in non-common law jurisdictions

Non-common law jurisdictions usually have one or more offices which are similar to attorneys-general in common law jurisdictions, some of which use "attorney-general" as the English translation of their titles.
The state attorney (ríkislögmaður) represents the state in civil lawsuits. The state attorney is appointed by the Prime Ministerfor a period of 5 years and must have the same qualifications re…

External links

• Quotations related to Attorney general at Wikiquote