Forum newsfeeds |  | | Notices | You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post. Please note, all posts are moderated by our in-house language experts, so make sure your suggestions, help, and advice house the kind of information an international language teacher would offer. If not, and your posts do not contribute to the topic in a positive way, they will be subject to deletion. | 
09-Mar-2004, 21:57
| | Newbie | | Join Date: Jan 2004 Country: none
Posts: 6
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
| | nouns plural I understand that the plural for mouse is mice; however, when use in the following sentence is this plural correct.
All of the computer mice are working.
Are we using the noun plural for mouse correctly? | 
09-Mar-2004, 22:02
|  | VIP Member | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: USA
Posts: 6,094
Current Location: New York First Language: American English Member Type: Academic Thanks: 0
Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts
| | Re: nouns plural Quote: |
Originally Posted by fleming I understand that the plural for mouse is mice; however, when use in the following sentence is this plural correct.
All of the computer mice are working.
Are we using the noun plural for mouse correctly? | Yes, we are stuck with that at the moment. The poor mouse was named before the compuiter was invented. | 
09-Mar-2004, 22:24
| | Member | | Join Date: Mar 2004 Country: Kalemyo
Posts: 258
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
| | Re: nouns plural Quote: |
Originally Posted by fleming I understand that the plural for mouse is mice; however, when use in the following sentence is this plural correct.
All of the computer mice are working.
Are we using the noun plural for mouse correctly? | Hi :) fleming
Don't get confused!
The mouse we use for computer has no plural, only the living mouse has plural.
Henry | 
09-Mar-2004, 22:44
|  | VIP Member | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: USA
Posts: 6,094
Current Location: New York First Language: American English Member Type: Academic Thanks: 0
Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts
| | Re: nouns plural Quote: |
Originally Posted by henry Quote: |
Originally Posted by fleming I understand that the plural for mouse is mice; however, when use in the following sentence is this plural correct.
All of the computer mice are working.
Are we using the noun plural for mouse correctly? | Hi :) fleming
Don't get confused!
The mouse we use for computer has no plural, only the living mouse has plural.
Henry | Hi, Henry,
What would you suggest we call two of them? | 
09-Mar-2004, 23:13
| | Editor, UsingEnglish.com | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: UK
Posts: 25,454
Current Location: Phnom Penh First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 6
Thanked 429 Times in 385 Posts
| | I've heard 'mouses' used for the computer thing. | 
09-Mar-2004, 23:39
|  | VIP Member | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: USA
Posts: 6,094
Current Location: New York First Language: American English Member Type: Academic Thanks: 0
Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by tdol I've heard 'mouses' used for the computer thing.  | I have also, but, happily, not often. 8) | 
10-Mar-2004, 01:45
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 13,536
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Member Type: Other Thanks: 73
Thanked 901 Times in 806 Posts
| | I think mouses is perfectly okay for the computer thingie, but I suppose some people say mice.
:)
__________________ ~R | 
10-Mar-2004, 08:53
| | Editor, UsingEnglish.com | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: UK
Posts: 25,454
Current Location: Phnom Penh First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 6
Thanked 429 Times in 385 Posts
| | It's a tricky one because we rarely use the plural,so nothing's really been established. | 
10-Mar-2004, 10:24
| | Member | | Join Date: Mar 2004 Country: Kalemyo
Posts: 258
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
| | Re: nouns plural Quote: |
Originally Posted by MikeNewYork Quote: |
Originally Posted by henry Quote: |
Originally Posted by fleming I understand that the plural for mouse is mice; however, when use in the following sentence is this plural correct.
All of the computer mice are working.
Are we using the noun plural for mouse correctly? | Hi :) fleming
Don't get confused!
The mouse we use for computer has no plural, only the living mouse has plural.
Henry | Hi, Henry,
What would you suggest we call two of them?  | Hi Mike NY,
As far as i can recall,I have neither heard nor seen that the mouse used for computer is a living thing like the mouse which runs around on your ceiling.
So: All of the computer mouse are working perfectly. | 
10-Mar-2004, 16:30
|  | VIP Member | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: USA
Posts: 6,094
Current Location: New York First Language: American English Member Type: Academic Thanks: 0
Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts
| | Re: nouns plural Quote: |
Originally Posted by henry Quote: |
Originally Posted by MikeNewYork Quote: |
Originally Posted by henry Quote: |
Originally Posted by fleming I understand that the plural for mouse is mice; however, when use in the following sentence is this plural correct.
All of the computer mice are working.
Are we using the noun plural for mouse correctly? | Hi :) fleming
Don't get confused!
The mouse we use for computer has no plural, only the living mouse has plural.
Henry | Hi, Henry,
What would you suggest we call two of them?  | Hi Mike NY,
As far as i can recall,I have neither heard nor seen that the mouse used for computer is a living thing like the mouse which runs around on your ceiling.
So: All of the computer mouse are working perfectly. | I don't think anyone suggested that a computer mouse was an actual rodent. That, however, doesn't resolve the issue. Using "mouse" as both the singular and plural is an option, but it is my least favorite one. :wink: | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
Posting Rules
| You may post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT. The time now is 10:34. |  |