Re: Grammar of verbs for nouns with "(s)"

["Tom Johnson" <tomjohnson1492 -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Thanks Milan. You're right. It is called a "parenthetical plural." Here's an
excerpt from the online Chicago Manual of Style on the topic:

"A term ending in "(s)" is both plural and singular. If you must use such a
device (and it can be a useful shorthand), you have to be prepared to adjust
the surrounding context as necessary: for example, "the award(s) is (are)
accounted for." A parenthetical plural verb must correspond to the
parenthetical ending. But that's an awkward example. In general, avoid such
shorthand unless it can be used simply and effectively, as in the following
example: Place an "about the author(s)" statement on the copyright page
(usually page iv)"


On Mon, Dec 22, 2008 at 2:20 PM, Milan Davidovic <milan -dot- lists -at- gmail -dot- com>wrote:

> On Mon, Dec 22, 2008 at 9:16 AM, Tom Johnson <tomjohnson1492 -at- gmail -dot- com>
> wrote:
> > The "(s)" makes the subject singular or
> > plural. This leaves me wondering whether "have" is grammatically correct.
> > I'm not even sure what the (s) is called. Any help here? Thanks,
>
> Try searching for "parenthetical plural" and see what what's there.
>
> --
> Milan Davidovic
> http://altmilan.blogspot.com
>



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