http://www.englishforums.com/English/EslGeneralEnglishGrammar-Questions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here. <font color=red>DO NOT post paragraphs and compositions here. Post them in our <a href="http://www.englishforums.com/English/EssayReportCompositionWriting/Forum9.htm"><b>Essay, Report and Composition Writing Forum</b></a>.</font>enXMOD (Build: 3614.32638)http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsUsedAdjectivesRule/bkhcx/post.htm#135068Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:25:39 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:135068Kangiten0http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsUsedAdjectivesRule/bkhcx/post.htm#135068http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-135068.xmlThanks for the reply. So, to reuse my example, I guess I can just use " the first step is a specification phase" since, while it results in specifications, adding or removing an s would not alter the meaning. Thanks for the help.http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsUsedAdjectivesRule/bkhcx/post.htm#134986Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:25:39 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:134986CalifJim1http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsUsedAdjectivesRule/bkhcx/post.htm#134986http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-134986.xmlI don't think you're wrong about this one, Paco!http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsUsedAdjectivesRule/bkhcx/post.htm#134947Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:25:39 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:134947paco20042http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsUsedAdjectivesRule/bkhcx/post.htm#134947http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-134947.xmlHello Kangiten I'm a learner from Japan. Your question is exactly what I too have long thought over but I have not still got a decisive answer for it. But up to now I have a feeling that there is no definite rule in forming noun-noun compound noun phrases. It is true that in the case of "right" the noun is usually expressed as "rights" when it is used as an adjective (e.g., "human rights protection", "human rights movement"). But, I feel it is rather an exceptional case. In most cases, nouns are expressed in singular forms when they are used as adjectives. Let me take "a coin collector" as an example. "A coin collector" means a person who is collecting coins. A person who has only one single coin can't be a coin collector. But still...http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsUsedAdjectivesRule/bkhcx/post.htmSun, 24 May 2009 00:25:39 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:134722Kangiten3http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralNounsUsedAdjectivesRule/bkhcx/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-134722.xmlHello everyone Here is a problem that has been bothering me for a long time and maybe someone can shed light on it. In school, I learnt that in English, adjectives are invariable and thus are never used with a plural marker. I also learnt that this also applies to nouns that are used as adjectives. The problem is that this rule seems to be more and more relaxed with the appearance of new terms and acronyms, especially those related to Telecommunications and IT. For instance, DRM means "Digital Right s Management". So, when writing in English, how am I supposed to know the nouns for which an S is needed when they are used as adjectives? For instance, should I write "the first step of the project is the specification...