Re: "write him" was Re: More questions

Gary Shannon wrote:
 > --- Stephen Mulraney <ataltanie@...> wrote:
 >
 > I've always wondered why folks in the UK choose to use
 > the plural form of "math", when they take a "maths
 > class" but yet don't go to "readings class" or
 > "histories class" or "chemistries class".  What is the
 > rule for deciding which school subject names are used
 > in their plural form?

"Maths" is short for "Mathematics", in which the Greek 3rd (*)
declension nomimative ending _s_ is parsed as an English plural. Hence
the abbreviation is pluralised, in the same way that the abbreviation
for "advertisements" is "ads", and not "ad".

* Well, it's 3rd in Latin :)

I've always wondered why folk in the US choose to use
the plural form of "folk" :)

--
To be sure                              Stephen Mulraney
   to be sure                            ataltane@ataltane.net

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