Re: "write him" was Re: More questions
| From: | John Cowan <cowan@...> |
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| Date: | Saturday, November 29, 2003, 1:04 |
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Stephen Mulraney scripsit:
> Hmm.. so mathematics is originally plural in English? But usage (e.g. verb
> agreement) disagrees, and I don't think "mathematics are..." has ever been
> current.
Oh yes. In the 18th century it was "the mathematicks" and took plural
agreement. I think the plural was felt to refer to the different
branches: algebra, geometry, fluxions (calculus), trigonometry, etc.
--
John Cowan jcowan@reutershealth.com www.reutershealth.com www.ccil.org/~cowan
"It's the old, old story. Droid meets droid. Droid becomes chameleon.
Droid loses chameleon, chameleon becomes blob, droid gets blob back
again. It's a classic tale." --Kryten, _Red Dwarf_
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