A Grammar of the English Tongue - ESL Teachers Board

A Grammar of the English Tongue 24The formation of the plural and genitive singular is the same.A few words still make the plural in n, as men, women, oxen, swine, andmore anciently eyen, shoon. This formation is that which generally prevailsin the Teutonick dialects.Words that end in f commonly form their plural by ves, as loaf, loaves; calf,calves.Except a few, muff, muffs; chief, chiefs. So hoof, roof, proof, relief,mischief, puff, cuff, dwarf, handkerchief, grief.Irregular plurals are teeth from tooth, lice from louse, mice from mouse,geese from goose, feet from foot, dice from die, pence from penny, brethrenfrom brother, children from child.Plurals ending in s have no genitives; but we say, Womens excellencies,and Weigh the mens wits against the ladies hairs.Dr. Willis thinks the Lords' house may he said for the house of Lords; butsuch phrases are not now in use; and surely an English ear rebels againstthem. They would commonly produce a troublesome ambiguity, as theLord's house may be the house of Lords, or the house of a Lord. Besidesthat the mark of elision is improper, for in the Lords' house nothing is cutoff.Some English substantives, like those of many other languages, changetheir termination as they express different sexes; as prince, princess; actor,actress; lion, lioness; hero, heroine. To these mentioned by Dr. Lowth maybe added arbitress, poetess, chauntress, duchess, tigress, governess, tutress,peeress, authoress, traytress, and perhaps othets. Of these variableterminations we have only a sufficient number to make us feel our want; forwhen we say of a woman that she is a philosopher, an astronomer, abuilder, a weaver, a dancer, we perceive an impropriety in the terminationwhich we cannot avoid; but we can say that she is an architect, a botanist, astudent. because these terminations have not annexed to them the notion of