Tricky Plurals
foreign plurals
Use appropriate foreign (particularly ancient Greek and Latin) plural forms where still in common usage
- EXAMPLES:
nucleus / nuclei
stratum / strata
genus / genera
analysis / analyses
basis / bases
crisis / crises
phenomenon / phenomena
bacterium / bacteria
millennium / millennia
Note that more than one plural form is sometimes in use for different meanings of a word.
- EXAMPLES:
formula / formulas in general—but formulae in maths/chemistry
index / indices for maths—but indexes for books
appendix / appendices for books—but appendixes in anatomy
medium / media in general —but mediums for spiritualists
datum / data in technical cases—but points of data in everyday use
Reference List
- European Commission English Style Guide - A handbook for authors and translators in the European Commission Eighth edition: January 2016 Last updated: May 2018 "[PDF File]" Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/styleguide_english_dgt_en.pdf
- University of Oxford Style Guide. "[PDF File]" Retrieved from https://www.ox.ac.uk/public-affairs/style-guide?wssl=