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Unusual Plurals of Abbreviations

Thanks to Lawrence K., who responded to my tip on forming plurals of symbols by pointing out that the plurals of some abbreviations are formed in ways other than by adding an s.

Example: pp. = pages

Example: sp. = species (singular); spp. = species (plural)

Example: cc., c.c., C.C., Cc, or cc = copy/copies or carbon copy/copies

Interesting Note: The original meaning of cc was carbon copy. Before photocopiers and computer printers, to make one or more copies of a document, carbon paper was placed between sheets of typewriter paper. Back then, as is the case today, the abbreviation was placed at the end of the document, followed by a colon and the name/location where the copy was sent. Fast forward some years…of course, your e-mail program has this feature, allowing you to send e-mails to any number of people.

Posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 9:14 am

Pled v. Pleaded & Enormity Defined

Today I will answer a couple of questions I received from radio listeners when I was a guest.

Question: Should you say “pled guilty” or “pleaded guilty”? Answer: Either one is considered correct.

Question: Does “enormity” mean “something monstrous” or “something important”? Answer: Both

Enormity

Definition: something outrageous or heinous, as an offense.

Example: The bombing of the defenseless population was an enormity beyond belief.

Definition: greatness of size, scope, extent, or influence; immensity.

Example: The enormity of such an act of generosity is staggering.

Posted on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 12:22 pm