Equivalent of using (s) to indicate possible plural for words using "ies" for plural?

Question

If I want to write how many of something I have that uses "s" to indicate plural, I can use (s), as in "Joe had X apple(s)". But say I want to write something like "The report contains 2 entries" or "The report contains 1 entry". Since the plural of entry isn't "entrys", it seems incorrect to write entry(s). What is the proper syntax for this?

@Josh61 If I want to use something after the word in parentheses to indicate it may or may not be plural, like like how apple(s) could represent apple or apples, would I use entry(s) or something else? — thnkwthprtls, Feb 18 '15 at 19:44

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 18 '15 at 19:52

2

I always understood that if the word ends in a "y" the plural is written "ies" as; berry(ies) ferry(ies) controversy(ies) belly"ies" as y is that sometimes vowel pronounced ee.

answered Feb 18 '15 at 19:52

m chambers

36

Thanks a lot, that's what I was leaning toward but I wasn't sure if there was a more accepted way – thnkwthprtls Feb 18 '15 at 19:53
1

@thnkwthprtls - be careful..if the y is preceded by a vowel, the s rule applies: donkey, donkeys. – Feb 18 '15 at 19:58
@Josh61 Thanks for the tip, I actually happen to have one of each in what I'm working on so that's definitely good to know – thnkwthprtls Feb 18 '15 at 19:59
Also don't make a mistake with proper nouns: Tommy -> Tommy's, not Tommie's. – Arsen Y.M. Feb 18 '15 at 21:51

Equivalent of using (s) to indicate possible plural for words using "ies" for plural?

1 Answers1