Bubr  +  14914 Thu, 04 Dec 03 05:16 PM Hello everyone! There are several odd words that I came across recently - like 'radius' or 'phenomenon'. Some people would use such plural form as 'radii' and 'phenomena'. Does it come from Latin? Would it be grammatically correct to say 'radiuses' and 'phenomenons'? Bubr Joined on Mon, Nov 10 2003 Full Member 437 Plurals

	bulatych  +  14938 Thu, 04 Dec 03 08:53 PM Yes, it's from Latin, and yes, it is correct to use normal English plurals too. Merriam-Webster usually shows correct plurals. bulatych Joined on Thu, Oct 30 2003 Toronto, Canada New Member 25 Plurals

	goggij2  +  15075 Sat, 06 Dec 03 08:25 AM First, buy an American Heritage dictionary. Second, never rely on webster's, use the latin for these plurals. good luck James goggij2 Joined on Wed, Dec 3 2003 New Member 10 Plurals

	miriam  +  36253 Wed, 07 Jul 04 12:03 PM Hello, Bubr Many of the words that sound "odd" in English come from other languages. "Radius" comes from Latin, "phenomenon" comes from Greek. Sometimes, specially in the technical language of science, such words have not been thouroughly "naturalised" and they keep their foreign plural forms. I don't know if people use "radiuses", and I've never seen "phenomenons", so I can't possibly tell you if these plurals are correct. There are many foreign words, however, that tend to conform to the English plural, and yet others that seem to be still at the half-way stage between both. When in doubt, I personally will choose the foreign plurals. You have to be careful because, in some cases, the two plurals still appear to have different meanings, as in: - index 1. indexes: tables of contents 2. indeces: algebraical signs - formula 1. formulas: fixed expressions or set forms of words 2. formulae: mathematical term - medium 1. mediums: people who claim communication with spirits 2. media: means, agencies. I'm not sure this information is 100% up to date, but it may help if you take it as "general guidelines". Miriam miriam Joined on Mon, May 10 2004 Argentina Regular Member 821 "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." Plato Plurals, Dates