why is it attorneys general and not attorney generals

What is the difference between US attorney and Attorney General?

Feb 18, 2013 · These lawyers were known at first as general attorneys, and later came to be known as attorneys general. Hence, the awkward phrasing. This is also why referring to the Attorney General or the Solicitor General as simply “General” is wrong and undeserved, with all respect to the Attorney General and Solicitor General.

Are attorney generals and judges the same?

Mar 04, 2017 · Believe it or not, I wrote this segment last week, before all the news about the attorney general broke, because I kept hearing people talk about all the state attorneys general.. For my listeners who aren’t in the US, the nation has one federal attorney general, but each state also has its own state-level attorney general.

Who is the current 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 …

How are attorney generals chosen?

Hello, Games & Quizzes Thesaurus Word of the Day Features Buying Guide. link icon. M-W Books. link icon. Word List Icon. My Words. My Words. Recents Icon.

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

Are attorney-generals called general?

Court documents confirm an attorney general and solicitor general are addressed and referred to as 'General (Surname)' in courtroom settings. Federal and state supreme and appellate court proceedings refer to attorneys general as 'General (Surname)'.Dec 8, 2020

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 the plural of state attorney general?

attorneys generalIn 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 Attorney General a military rank?

Attorneys general are not military officers, have no rank, and therefor should not be referred to as “general”.

What is the difference between chief justice and Attorney General?

In layman terms, Chief Justice is a Judge and Attorney General is a Lawyer, both have distinct roles to play. The Attorney General of India is the highest law officer of the country and he/she is the chief legal advisor to the GoI. He is responsible to assist the government in all its legal matters.Feb 20, 2020

What is the irregular plural of deer?

The standard (irregular) plural is deer. Occasionally used in the sense of more than one species, especially when appearing in combination (such as red deer / red deers).

What is the attorney general's office?

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 hero plural?

hero. noun. he·​ro | \ ˈhir-ō , ˈhē-rō \ plural heroes.

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.

What is octopus plural?

Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus, coming from the belief that Latin origins should have Latin endings. Octopuses is the next plural, which gives the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word.

Should state attorney general be capitalized?

AP Style tip: Use attorney general, attorneys general. ... Capitalize as a title before a name: Attorney General Eric Holder.Sep 26, 2014

What Is the Plural of 'Deputy Attorney General'?

Update: After the podcast aired, we got an interesting follow-up question: What is the plural of deputy attorney general ?

About the Author

Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller " Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ." She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards.

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.

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.

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]