Why the heck does 'score' mean 20? How we subconsciously know how to pronounce different plurals.

Why the heck does 'score' mean 20? How we subconsciously know how to pronounce different plurals.

929. While we were looking into why we use the word "score" to mean "twenty," our minds were blown by how many languages still have remnants of a base-20 counting system. And then we learned the secret rules that explain why some plurals end with an "s" sound and others end with a "z" sound. It was quite a week!

| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/score-dogz/transcript

| The "score" segment was written by Susan K. Herman, a retired U.S. Government multidisciplined language analyst, analytic editor, and language instructor.

| The "Cats and Dogz" segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com

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| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

  • Audio engineer: Nathan Semes
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| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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Episoder(967)

141 Appositives

141 Appositives

Appositives Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

17 Okt 20085min

140 Modifying Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences

140 Modifying Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences

Modifying Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 Okt 20084min

139 Is "Data" Singular or Plural?

139 Is "Data" Singular or Plural?

Is "Data" Singular or Plural? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

3 Okt 20085min

136 Complex-Compound Sentences

136 Complex-Compound Sentences

Complex-Compound Sentences Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

19 Sep 20085min

131 Collective Nouns

131 Collective Nouns

Collective Nouns Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2 Sep 20085min

129 Assure Versus Ensure Versus Insure

129 Assure Versus Ensure Versus Insure

Assure Versus Ensure Versus Insure Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

25 Aug 20085min

127 Begs the Question

127 Begs the Question

Begs the Question Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

19 Aug 20084min

126 - Through, Threw, and Thru

126 - Through, Threw, and Thru

Through, Threw, and Thru Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

14 Aug 20084min

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