Deers, Foxes and Buffaloes

Plural: the form of a word that is used to denote more than one.

I believe I learned in kindergarten, that in order to make a noun plural, one must add an 's'. However, what many people seem to have forgotten from the exact same class is that there are exceptions to that rule.

The first example I recall learning as an exception was the plural form of 'deer'. There has never been, nor will there ever be an 's' at the end of that word. I don't care if you see 20 of the beautiful creatures in your back yard...or claim to have killed 20 during hunting season. A deer is a deer. If there are 20? It's still 'deer'.

My husband, a brilliant man with a Master's degree, was caught ignoring another exception to the plural rule when we were out to dinner with a group of people I was meeting for the first time. When he started explaining our scenic backyard, the word 'foxes' slipped out. Not one to let things slide - I called him on it. It was bad enough that he momentarily forgot the exception to the plural rule. But, now he had the other guys at the table questioning...what? It isn't foxes? Are you sure? Is it fox? Really? Yes, really...nobody says 'foxes'...unless they are inebriated.

As is the way of human nature: when you make a mistake, deflect the attention to someone else's bigger mistake.

Enter the Colorado Buffaloes into the conversation.

Apparently, the prerequisite to get into the University of Colorado is to never have learned the rule of plurals. A buffalo is a buffalo. More than one is a herd. A herd of BUFFALO. Just because it ends in 'o' does not mean you add an 'es'.

Since 1877, CU has prided itself on 'building strong programs in the sciences, engineering, business, law, arts, humanities, education, music, and many other disciplines'. Apparently the English language is not one of the other disciplines. I bet their students say 'WalMarts' (there is no 's' on the end of that people...unless you're talking about a group of WalMarts).

Everybody can slip up inadvertently now and then. Cacti becomes cactuses. Fish becomes fishes. Mice becomes mouses. But let's make those slip-ups as irregular as their plural forms.

If you're applying to college or sending your kids off, you might want to check the syllabuses (correct form? syllabi) first. And here's a helpful hint: If you want to study English, don't attend a school where the mascot is a grammatical error!