Some English Plurals.

New Zealand Mail, 3 December 1896, Page 12

Some English Plurals.

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes, But the plural of ox should be oxen, not Then "one' fowl is a goose, but two aro called geese, Yet the plural of moose should never be ineese; „ You may find a lone mouse or a whole nest or mice, But the plural of house is houses, not hice ; K the plural of man is always called men, Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen ? The cow in the plural may he cows or kine, But a bow if repeated is never called bine, And the plural "of vow is vows, never vine. If I speak of a foot and you show me your feet, And J give you a boot, would a pair be called beet !- Tf one is a tooth, and a whole set are teeth, Why .slum idn’t the plural of boetii bo called h -or.il ? I the c'-.jidar’s this and the plural 's ihe=>e, tjhcmid the plural of kiss ever bu ikunitnod keosc ? Then one may bo that and three would be those, Yet hat in the plural would never be hose, And the plural of cat is cats, not cose. Wo speak of a brother, and 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, shis and shim. So the English, I think, you all will agree, Is the queerest language you ever did see.