THE KING’S ENGLISH
We’ll begin with box, the plural is boxes, But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes. One fowl is a goose, but two are called
geese, Yet the plural of mouse is never meese. You may find a lone mouse, or a whole
nest of mice, But the plural of house is houses, not
bice. If the plural of man is always men, Why .shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen? If 1 speak of a foot ami you show me
two feet. And if I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet? If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be cftlled beeth? If the singular’s this and the plural these, Should the plural of kiss ever be keese? We speak of a brother an'd also of brethren, But though we say mother we never say methren. Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him, But imagine the feminine, she. sills and shim. So, what? —Walter L. O’Donnell.
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 142, 12 March 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)
Word Count
177THE KING’S ENGLISH Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 142, 12 March 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)
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