[Ads-l] hypercorrect pluralization of attributives

[Jonathan Lighter]

CNN alludes to the influence of "the Obamas factor" on the Hillary campaign.

I don't care how many Obamas there are, it's still "the Obama factor."

Maybe somebody thinks that "Obama" by default means "Pres. Obama" and
ignores Michelle Obama, so a plural is required444

But who knows what people think?

JL

On Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 8:27 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> My grandfather (b. 1884) regularly used the form "five-foot tall."  My
> grandmother did not, IIRC.
>
> JL
>
> On Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 1:14 AM, W Brewer <brewerwa at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> WG:  << True, but the polloi have annoyingly begun to say and write crap
>> like
>> "five-miles walk." >>
>> WB:  Used to take ten-mile runs in the Berkeley Hills as a student.  Never
>> been on no fancy-pants <10K run>. Prefer life in my recliner now, anyways.
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>



-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org