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Old 21-Dec-2006, 13:06
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Default sperm

is sperm coutable
which one is correct?
Scientists thought she had been able to store /sperms/sperm from her earlier encounter with a male but, after hearing about Flora's eggs, researchers conducted tests which showed her eggs were also produced without male help.
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Old 21-Dec-2006, 13:18
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Default Re: sperm

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Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
is sperm coutable
which one is correct?
Scientists thought she had been able to store /sperms/sperm from her earlier encounter with a male but, after hearing about Flora's eggs, researchers conducted tests which showed her eggs were also produced without male help.
IMO, both.
IF you say sperms, you refer to the individual cells.
Sperm means the substance in singular
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Old 21-Dec-2006, 17:09
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Default Re: sperm

I have never heard the word sperms. Sperm is an uncountable collective noun like milk, oil, and gravel.
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Old 22-Dec-2006, 05:24
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Default Re: sperm

In everyday language, I too haven't heard the plural, but it would appear that it is used medically:
But now with the discovery of the x-chromosomes sperms and y-chromosomes sperms in the semen, the medical scientists proclaimed that it is the male who is responsible for choosing or selecting the sex of the baby.
Sex of Baby Pediatric Oncall
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Old 22-Dec-2006, 15:30
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Default Re: sperm

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Originally Posted by svartnik View Post
IMO, both.
IF you say sperms, you refer to the individual cells.
Sperm means the substance in singular
Sometimes (perhaps only in BE?) people use spermatozoon/~atozoa for the countable form - that's /...'əɷɔn/ [sing.] /...'əɷə/ [plur.]

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