Plural Compounds
The plural sign of a compound word is affixed to the principal part of
the word, to the part that conveys the predominant idea; as,
fathers-in-law, man-servants, outpourings, ingatherings. In such words
as handfuls, cupfuls, mouthfuls, the plural ending is added to the
subordinate part because the ideas are so closely associated as to
blend into one.
Beaus, Beaux
Some words ending in eau have only the English plurals, as bureaus,
portmanteaus; others take both the English and the French plurals, as
beaus, beaux; flambeaus, flambeaux; plateaus, plateaux; and still
others take only the foreign plural; as, bateaux, chateaux, tableaux.
Pair, Couple, Brace
After numerals, the singular form of such words as these is generally
employed; as, five pair of gloves, eight couple of dancers, three
brace of pigeons, five
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dozen of eggs, four score years, twenty sail of ships, fifty head of
cattle, six hundred of these men, two thousand of these cattle, etc.
After such indefinite adjectives as few, many, several, some of the
above words take the plural form; as, several hundreds, many
thousands.
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