Plural of Beer

[troutman]

Bottlescrew Bills promotes "Around the World in 80 Beers".

http://www.bottlescrewbill.com/80beers.html

[Bobblehead]

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Just, for the record, you can't compare the plurality of beer to the plurality of pizza. English is so messed up that you just can't do it. I saw seven rabbits in the woods behind my house, but only three deers. Should deer have an S to signify plurality like rabbit?

Wouldn't it make more sense to say "yous better start brushing up on your grammar" when talking about plural people reading here, rather than "you better start brushing up on your grammar?"

I'm not an expert in English grammar by any stretch, but I am an expert in argumentation, so don't pull those ammature little tricks

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

Well the problem with this argument for plurality is the fact there are 99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer, let's take one down pass it around . . .

[troutman]

three deers

If they are 3 deer of the same species, should we say 3 deer?

What if it was one mule deer, one white-tail deer, and one reindeer? 3 deers? types of deer as opposed to # of deer

[ken0042]

That would be three flavours of deer.

[Bobblehead]

But you can count deer. You cannot count beer.

You can count the containers which hold the beer, you can measure the volume of beer, but you cannot count the actual beer (unless you want to count the actual molecules - one mole of beer, please)

[HalifaxDrunk]

To quote Brad Pitt in Kalifornia:

Early Grayce: Reebs. That's what we used to call them when we was kids. It's beer spelled backwards.

I think Early just added the "s" for fun, he was not a Rhodes scholar. So just call them Reebs and its always plural!

[ernie]

To be honest I have never heard anyone in reference to having 6 of the same type of beer say "beerS" and not get ridiculed for being absolutely hosed.

The person that said beerS would refer to different types of beer is absolutely correct IMO.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by ernie

To be honest I have never heard anyone in reference to having 6 of the same type of beer say "beerS" and not get ridiculed for being absolutely hosed.

The person that said beerS would refer to different types of beer is absolutely correct IMO.

Once again, this is just a shortcut to avoid saying types of beer or brands of beer. It isn't correct.

And BTW, I have been know to be lazy and say something like "Who's going out for beers after the game?", but I also know it isn't correct.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

And BTW, I have been know to be lazy and say something like "Who's going out for beers after the game?", but I also know it isn't correct.

If this is wrong then I dont want to be right!

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Locke

If this is wrong then I dont want to be right!

Actually, I know I'll probably be wrong again around 8:30 tonight.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Actually, I know I'll probably be wrong again around 8:30 tonight.

9:30 for me, I've got a soccer game. And then we all go out for beers...

[ernie]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Once again, this is just a shortcut to avoid saying types of beer or brands of beer. It isn't correct.

And BTW, I have been know to be lazy and say something like "Who's going out for beers after the game?", but I also know it isn't correct.

Maybe technically but i've never known anyone to say "The types of beer of the world" but rather "Beers of the world"

Then again we have "Ask the English Teacher" indicating the tendency for canadians to use phrases like "I had 6 beer" is canadian slang and it should be "I had 6 beers".

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/englis..._or_beers.html

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Beer is the content. The container is the measure. You don't pluralize the content, you pluralize the containers.

"I'll have 2 glasses of beer."
"I need 12 bottles of beer."
"Grab a case of beer."

To say "beers" is just being lazy.

Originally Posted by kermitology

Definitely the truth in this case.

Say it right!

Note point 2 in the definition though. 'Beer' can be used to reference one container of beer.

2. quantity of beer: a drink or glass of beer

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Just, for the record, you can't compare the plurality of beer to the plurality of pizza. English is so messed up that you just can't do it. I saw seven rabbits in the woods behind my house, but only three deers. Should deer have an S to signify plurality like rabbit?

Wouldn't it make more sense to say "yous better start brushing up on your grammar" when talking about plural people reading here, rather than "you better start brushing up on your grammar?"

I'm not an expert in English grammar by any stretch, but I am an expert in argumentation, so don't pull those ammature little tricks

My argument was merely that it sounds stupid, just as it would if that was the rule for pizza

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by ernie

Maybe technically but i've never known anyone to say "The types of beer of the world" but rather "Beers of the world"

Then again we have "Ask the English Teacher" indicating the tendency for canadians to use phrases like "I had 6 beer" is canadian slang and it should be "I had 6 beers".

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/englis..._or_beers.html

VICTORY!

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

VICTORY!

actually Crawford Kilian disagrees . . .

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/englis..._or_beers.html

But in Canada we tend to treat "beer" as a plural: "We went down to the pub and had a few beer." This may not be "proper" English, but it's proper Canadian!

The Canadian lexicon, according to this source, believes beer can be both singular and plural. However in other cultures it is not.

Is that to say the sport we love to watch is not "hockey" but indeed "ice hockey"?

Is the largest sporting event in the world the World Cup of Soccer or the World Cup of Football?

So it appears that the plural of beer is both beer and beers, either is acceptable in the Country of Canada, or should it be the Nation of Canada, Dominion of Canada, Great White North, God's Country?

And thus ends the great beer debate of 2007

[Bobblehead]

link

There are Countable and uncountable nouns
If you don't know what countable and uncountable nouns are, you should look at the intermediate level. (But for those people with bad memories, uncountable nouns are things that you can't have two or more of. "Two happinesses" sounds a little bit strange. As was mentioned above, uncountable nouns cannot have plurals. But they can - when you are talking about a particular type of uncountable noun.

Look at beer. (Yes, please!) Beer is uncountable. When you tell the barman "two beers, please" this is just a lazy way of saying "two glasses (or bottles) of beer, please". But really, beer is uncountable - like water. But while we say the English drink a lot of beer (beer being uncountable), the English drink many types of beer. For example in my area, Greene King is a popular beer, and in Yorkshire many people drink Tetley's. Both these beersbeers and they taste different from German beers.

We can also talk about the are English joys of being a parent, unless children are one of your hates. However, other types of uncountable/insubstantive nouns do not work like this. So we say "there are many types of courage" and not "there are many courages".

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

actually Crawford Kilian disagrees . . .

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/englis..._or_beers.html



The Canadian lexicon, according to this source, believes beer can be both singular and plural. However in other cultures it is not.

Is that to say the sport we love to watch is not "hockey" but indeed "ice hockey"?

Is the largest sporting event in the world the World Cup of Soccer or the World Cup of Football?

So it appears that the plural of beer is both beer and beers, either is acceptable in the Country of Canada, or should it be the Nation of Canada, Dominion of Canada, Great White North, God's Country?

And thus ends the great beer debate of 2007

I hope so, the entire board has been on edge everytime they post anything with the word 'beer' in it, being afraid to trigger the wrath of the various grammar nazis lurking about.

Feel free friends, and use the term 'beer' or 'beers' with impugnity!

Locke.

....and its the Football World Cup, and I prefer the great white North.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

link

Thank you Bobblehead.

Take that Hulk