1 is single
2 or more is plural
is 1.5 plural?
2 or more is plural
is 1.5 plural?
1.5, plural?
Interestingly enough, 0 is also plural in English (for example, "There are 0 people here"). Any number that is not exactly 1 is treated as plural.
Lazar, well, except that numbers larger than zero and less than or equal to one are also counted as singular in English, as shown by things like "half an apple".
<<Lazar, well, except that numbers larger than zero and less than or equal to one are also counted as singular in English, as shown by things like "half an apple".>>
That's true. I was thinking more of when you actually use a cardinal number, like "0.5 apples".
That's true. I was thinking more of when you actually use a cardinal number, like "0.5 apples".
>>It depends how you word it.<<
"It depends ON how you word it."
Which is more accurate? I need your help (or helps). Thank you as always.
"It depends ON how you word it."
Which is more accurate? I need your help (or helps). Thank you as always.
During the winter, turtles mate at the office New Year's Eve party in an eggnog-fueled frenzy of irresponsible sexual behavior. The following day, the female turtle digs a hole in the sand and, peering into the hole, shoots the eggs out of her nose like a bazooka until the hole is filled. A thick layer of fungus grows on the eggs, encapulsating them to protect them from the wind and snow.
Eventually the eggs hatch, and with the nutritive support of the fungal bed, grow into short (3-6in.), nonvascular plants with a gametophore at their apical tip. This "gametophytic" stage of the turtle life cycle is completed when wind carries gametes from male gametophores to female gametophores, resulting in fertilization.
The newly fertilized turtle zygote falls from the female gametophore onto the fungal bed: later in development, the turtle larvae will feed on the fungal bed, molting several times before forming a cocoon on the base of the gametophyte. When the turtle ultimately ecloses, it is morphologically identical to an adult. It swims to the ocean, where it will grow and eat, and may reproduce several times by budding before laying eggs of its own.
Eventually the eggs hatch, and with the nutritive support of the fungal bed, grow into short (3-6in.), nonvascular plants with a gametophore at their apical tip. This "gametophytic" stage of the turtle life cycle is completed when wind carries gametes from male gametophores to female gametophores, resulting in fertilization.
The newly fertilized turtle zygote falls from the female gametophore onto the fungal bed: later in development, the turtle larvae will feed on the fungal bed, molting several times before forming a cocoon on the base of the gametophyte. When the turtle ultimately ecloses, it is morphologically identical to an adult. It swims to the ocean, where it will grow and eat, and may reproduce several times by budding before laying eggs of its own.
Back to the numbers and plural question from 2005... My 6 year old son asked me why zero is plural if it is less than one. Is there an actual answer to this question?
I don't have "half apples" just like I don't have "half a turtles". Am I strange?.
I can't believe a six year old has stumped me. Try "IT JUST IS, ALRIGHT". That's what my mum would say if I asked something tricky like why zero is plural.
I can't believe a six year old has stumped me. Try "IT JUST IS, ALRIGHT". That's what my mum would say if I asked something tricky like why zero is plural.