Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 December 1880 — Singular or Plural? [ARTICLE]

Singular or Plural?

A correspondent of the New York Tribune protests against a “Cockney solecism” in the use of a plural form for adjectives, as “customs duties,” “burials bill,” “incurable drunkards act.” In English, he argues, an adjective has no plural, and usage is directly against giving it one. We neither say nor write “customs house,” “taxes collector,” “harbors and rivers bill,” “hats rack,” “fugitive slaves bill,” nor “rebels claim.” In England they announce “parcels and cloak room.” If a parcels room, why not a cloaks rooms? and it custom house, why not custom duties? This point would be worth considering if there were much probability of the habit’s growing, but with the single exception of “customs duties,” the combination in this country is not used. This is used probably because “custom” and “customs,” like “duty” and “duties,” have the same meaning, and are used indifferently; that is, the plural form has no marked plural meaning. In both cases it means the toll or tolls Jhat is to be paid, whether there be one or half a dozen kinds. We say either the duty on tea and coffee or the duties on tea and coffee, either an officer of the custom or an officer of the customs. It is certainly to be hoped that the awkward titles to bills, so common in English parliamentary legislation, will not become fashionable in this country. The consideration and division of boroughs bill, the reformation and restoration of eliminate bill, or the transportation and encouragement of emigrants’ bill are distortions of theEnglish tongue that ought not to be tolerated by civilized society.