Plural Of Money?

[+ Avalon]

I think the plural of money is rightly moneys. A pet peeve of mine is when I see monies. Afterall the plural of monkey is monkeys not monkies! Also the plural of key is keys not kies.

[MsGuy]

Rightly???

 

It's been my experience that English is a river that doesn't much respond to the dikes of logic folks try to impose on it, most especially when it comes to spelling.

 

Personally, I would use "monies" if I were writing of financial instruments/transactions and the like, but might well lean toward "moneys" as a substitute for "currencies". And, no, that doesn't make the least bit of sense, LOL, but its all a matter of preference in the first place, so why not?

 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/money-plural-usage-monies

 

There are far too many things in the world to get myself aggravated over to let myself get pissed over how someone wants to spell the plural of money. LOL, I mean how often do folks actually use that particular plural in the first place.

Edited July 27, 2018 by MsGuy

[+ tassojunior]

In English English do they say "money is" or "money are"......I assume "money are" even though money could be one coin or bill and Americans consider it a singular.

 

It's so hard going from American English to English English with mass nouns with a collective sense using the verb of the plural...the team are...the university are...the city are, etc. So is it now "Money are the root of all evil? (My grammary keeps insisting I change it to is). Reading an English paper produces shock in Americans and it's hard for many of us not to sound like provincials when there. And my American Grammarly doesn't help.

Edited July 28, 2018 by tassojunior

[+ bashful]

When in doubt, use another word. Funds.

Edited July 27, 2018 by bashful

[+ Avalon]

In English English do they say "money is" or "money are"......I assume "money are" even though money could be one coin or bill and Americans consider it a singular.

 

It's so hard going from American English to English English with mass nouns with a collective sense using the verb of the plural...the team are...the university are...the city are, etc. So is it now "Money are the root of all evil? (My grammary keeps insisting I change it to is. Reading an English paper produces shock in Americans and it's hard for many of us not to sound like provincials when there. And my American Grammarly doesn't help.

 

I think at one time - before the Civil War - people said "The United States are ..." but later it became "is". But if one wanted to use "are" they could say "These United States are ...".

[+ bashful]

I think at one time - before the Civil War - people said "The United States are ..." but later it became "is". But if one wanted to use "are" they could say "These United States are ...".

 

Think it depends on context. The United States is a country in North America. The United States are diverse. Not sure I'm correct, but that's how I would speak.

 

But then again, I might find myself saying the US is diverse.

Edited July 27, 2018 by bashful

[Rudynate]

Money is mostly a collective noun. As you note, The Brits treat collective nouns differently from Americans. We say, "The council is . . .." They say, "The council are . . . ." Not sure because I'm not around British English every day, but I believe even the Brits say "money is." But money doesn't always need to be a collective noun. As noted above thread, money can have a plural form when referring to funding sources or financial instruments or particular accounts. Since we grew up with the occasional inconsistency and illogic of English, it doesn't bother us. It must be disconcerting to native speakers of languages like French and German that are so logical.

[Rudynate]

I think at one time - before the Civil War - people said "The United States are ..." but later it became "is". But if one wanted to use "are" they could say "These United States are ...".

 

I think it is still fairly common to refer to the United States in the plural. I don't understand why the definite article "these" would have to precede it. Why couldn't the indefinite article "the" precede it?

[+ Avalon]

I think it is still fairly common to refer to the United States in the plural. I don't understand why the definite article "these" would have to precede it. Why couldn't the indefinite article "the" precede it?

 

It just sounds odd now at least to me.

 

Here in the US we say "the government is ..." but in the UK I understand they say "the government are ...".

[+ tassojunior]

Money is mostly a collective noun. As you note, The Brits treat collective nouns differently from Americans. We say, "The council is . . .." They say, "The council are . . . ." Not sure because I'm not around British English every day, but I believe even the Brits say "money is." But money doesn't always need to be a collective noun. As noted above thread, money can have a plural form when referring to funding sources or financial instruments or particular accounts. Since we grew up with the occasional inconsistency and illogic of English, it doesn't bother us. It must be disconcerting to native speakers of languages like French and German that are so logical.

 

I think it's for the benefit of others translating or learning that the English are more consistent with collective nouns. In America we say "the people are" but we say "the university is" . In England they consistently use "are" for both.

[Rudynate]

I think it's for the benefit of others translating or learning that the English are more consistent with collective nouns. In America we say "the people are" but we say "the university is" . In England they consistently use "are" for both.

 

In American English, we make distinctions that they don't seem to in British English. "The people" is an assortment, "the University" is a corporate body. In French, they say, "les gens, " but in German, they say "das Volk." But even in German, when they're just talking about a bunch of people, they say "die Leute" rather than das Volk. Das Volk is more like a body - the population, the German People, the community.

[+ sync]

I'm still stuck pondering why cable is cable and label is label. I think they're just out to get me.

[+ Tarte Gogo]

I am sorry can someone give a full sentence where moneys/monies is used and where is it is clearly a different meaning from “money”?

 

Non-native speaker here, I just don’t see in which case the plural of money is needed.

[+ harey]

I am sorry can someone give a full sentence where moneys/monies is used and where is it is clearly a different meaning from “money”?

 

Non-native speaker here, I just don’t see in which case the plural of money is needed.

Monies = instances of money

"We have paid good money to bribe the corrupt officials of this town. We have paid good money in many villages and towns. Of all the corrupt monies we have paid, this one is the best."

[+ bashful]

I think it is still fairly common to refer to the United States in the plural. I don't understand why the definite article "these" would have to precede it. Why couldn't the indefinite article "the" precede it?

 

As in "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America..."

[Rudynate]

I misidentified the articles. "The" is the definite article. "These" is a demonstrative article.

[liubit]

The Czech word for money (PENIZE) is plural and therefore you always say “money are good”. Not that anybody cares, but I thought I’d chime in

[+ tassojunior]

The Czech word for money (PENIZE) is plural and therefore you always say “money are good”. Not that anybody cares, but I thought I’d chime in

 

I suspect we Americans are odd in sometimes using the singular tense verb after some collective nouns and I think the English used to do the same sometimes but saw the light.

[mike carey]

Also the plural of key is keys not kies.

'Kies' would probably rhyme with 'pies', so not a useful example.

The United States are diverse.

I would say Australia is diverse, so the use of 'are' for the US is not a given. I would interpret 'is' to mean the country as a whole is diverse irrespective of state boundaries (which it is) and 'are' to mean that the states as entities in the country are diverse in that they are different from each other (which they also are).

 

I have never seen 'money are' and I'm usually aware of British usage. I'm with others that words like university, council, staff, parliament and congress could take either singular or plural verbs. Sometimes for slightly different meanings, and sometimes just different writing styles.

[+ Avalon]

Good point about "kies" and pies. And then there is also skies.