ABSTRACT
3.11. In a great many substantives the pl is either always or in certain combinations identical in form with the sg. Some of these belong to the morphological part of grammar and will be treated there, thus the E1E plurals sense, corpse, voice, princess, hose, merchandize, etc., further the colloquial identification of gentleman and gentlemen [dʒentlmən]. On species etc. see here 2.66; on you 2.8. But in this chapter we shall deal with such unchanged plurals as have syntactical importance; very frequently we have doublets like fish and fishes, dozen and dozens, but on the whole there is a good deal of uncertainty in the use of the forms.
