Howard Goldberg of West Hartford, Connecticut, poses this plural puzzler: What's the Latin singular of "mores," meaning "customs, ways," pronounced "MAWR-aze"? Think of Cicero's famous lament, "O, tempores! O, mores!" (Oh, the times! Oh, the customs!).

Before I reveal the answer, can you provide the plural form in English for each of these Greek or Latin nouns?

1) stimulus 2) thesis 3) alumna 4) alumnus 5) crisis 6) consortium 7) erratum 8) medium (referring to a form of communication)

9) index 10) stratum 11) gymnasium 12) formula 13) thesaurus 14) cactus 15) referendum 16) curriculum

17) campus 18) ultimatum 19) medium (referring to a size or a fortune-teller) 20) bonus 21) octopus 22) syllabus 23) platypus 24) brontosaurus

Answers:

Nouns 1-8 usually retain their Greek or Latin plurals in English: 1) stimuli 2) theses 3) alumnae 4) alumni 5) crises 6) consortia 7) errata 8) media

Nouns 9-16 may be written either with Anglicized plurals (adding "s" or "es") OR with their Greek or Latin plurals (more common when the word is used in a technical or formal sense): 9) indexes/indices 10) stratums/strata 11) gymnasiums/gymnasia 12) formulas/formulae 13) thesauruses/thesauri 14) cactuses/cacti 15) referendums/referenda 16) curriculums/curricula

Nouns 17-24 are usually written with Anglicized plurals: 17) campuses 18) ultimatums 19) mediums 20) bonuses 21) octopus ("octopi" is technically incorrect because "octopus" is not a Latin word, but derives from the Greek "octopada") 22) syllabuses, from the Greek "sullabontes" 23) platypuses, from the Greek "platupous" 24) brontosauruses, from the Greek "saurus" ("lizard"), likewise, apatosauruses, brachiosauruses, stegosauruses, tyrannosauruses.

The term "Tyrannosaurus Rex" is usually used for BOTH the singular and plural form of our fierce friend, though the plural is sometimes rendered "Tyrannosaurus Rexes."

As you can see, the choice of the classical or Anglicized plural is influenced by many factors: sound (it's hard to say "crisises"); frequency of use ("bonus" is thoroughly Anglicized); technical use (the mathematician's "formulae" vs. babies' "formulas"); and word origin (an "us" ending can indicate either a Greek root or a Latin root).

Finally, here's the answer to Goldberg's conundrum: The singular form of "mores" is the Latin noun "mos," meaning "custom."

Thus, a singular-minded Cicero might have said "O, tempus! O, mos!"

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His new book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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