Ununsual plural forms in English

Guest   Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:16 am GMT
The only ones I know of:

Octopus : Octopi

Crisis : Crises

Are there any other unusual cases?
Laura Braun   Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:24 am GMT
scissors you cannot say scissor , I have no idea why.
hair but not hairs.
Guest   Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:48 am GMT
Mouse: Mice
Guest   Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:16 am GMT
Ox: Oxen
Child: Children
Brother: Brethren
Foot: Feet
Man: Men
Guest   Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:47 am GMT
people people peoples
fish fish fishes
axis axes
matrix matrices
rubrik rubrika
forum forums fora
Laura Braun   Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:19 am GMT
is love has plural form?
Guest   Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:42 am GMT
No, it's a mass noun.
Guest   Mon Sep 01, 2008 12:26 pm GMT
Unless you're referring to a person i.e. 'The loves of her life.
Damian in Edinburgh   Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:49 pm GMT
***hair but not hairs***

Think again on this one, madam.
Laura Braun   Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:51 pm GMT
I'm so sorry, but could you tell hairs? Damian of Edinburgh? Where is your good sence of humour?
Laura Braun   Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:59 pm GMT
Little explanation for those who doesn't speak my native language. In my language we have plural for hair. Example: Tia ima chudesni zlatisti kosi. (Translation: She has wonderful gold hairs) (kosi - plural). Tia ima rusa kosa. (She has blond hair). Nikoi ne moje da gali kosite ti , kakto men. Nobody can touch your hairs as me.
For example we have the same problem with scissors: edna nojica (one scissor), dve nojici (two scissors). In english you accept that scissors is a pair, but in my own language it's not.
beneficii   Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:30 pm GMT
"Brother: Brethren "

This is wrong. Brothers is plural of brother. Brethren is a mass noun, a somewhat old-fashioned term referring to one's ideological peers.

Hair as a mass noun has no plural. But if you're referring to a single strand of hair, then hair can be a counting noun. "Hairs" then would refer to multiple strands of hairs. Hairs is used, particularly by the medical profession.
Guest   Mon Sep 01, 2008 8:03 pm GMT
goose geese
moose moose
deer deer
louse lice
woman women
Guest   Mon Sep 01, 2008 8:18 pm GMT
spouse spice
wuss weasel
boot beet
vow vowel
Roman Romen
Guest   Mon Sep 01, 2008 8:37 pm GMT
"This is wrong. Brothers is plural of brother. Brethren is a mass noun, a somewhat old-fashioned term referring to one's ideological peers. "

From etymonline: Alternate pl. brethren was predominant c.1200-1600s, but survived only in religious usage.