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The_mystic_dude Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
Plural of shrimp
Hi everybody!
I was wondering if there is a plural of the word "shrimp", is it like "fish-fish" or is the plural shrimps? Do you say: 1 shrimp, 2 shrimp, 3 shrimp, or do make it "shrimps" out of it?
Do you say "shrimp cocktail" or "shrimps cocktail"?
Thanks,
Walter
I was wondering if there is a plural of the word "shrimp", is it like "fish-fish" or is the plural shrimps? Do you say: 1 shrimp, 2 shrimp, 3 shrimp, or do make it "shrimps" out of it?
Do you say "shrimp cocktail" or "shrimps cocktail"?
Thanks,
Walter
Top answer
Hello, Walter Shrimp is a countable noun and has a regular plural: 1 shrimp, 2 shrimps. At a restaurant, you can order one shrimp cocktail or two shrimp cocktails. It's like potato salad or apple pie.
- Hello, Walter Shrimp is a countable noun and has a regular plural: 1 shrimp, 2 shrimps.
- At a restaurant, you can order one shrimp cocktail or two shrimp cocktails.
- It's like potato salad or apple pie.
- Even if it takes more than one potato to make the salad and more than one apple to make the pie, you still use those words in singular since they are acting as premodifiers of another noun.
- 'Potato' and 'apple' are still nouns, but they are occupying the place of an adjective and acting like to one.
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34 Answers
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Hello, Walter 
Shrimp is a countable noun and has a regular plural: 1 shrimp, 2 shrimps.
At a restaurant, you ca
Shrimp is a countable noun and has a regular plural: 1 shrimp, 2 shrimps.
At a restaurant, you ca
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What Miriam said is correct, however there is another plural form of "shrimp" which is "shrimp". So yes, if using that form it is like "fish-fish", and you would say "1 shrimp", "2 shrimp", "100 shrimp".
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Ok, thanks a lot to both of you!
But now I am as clever as I was before. I understand that it's a word that one can count, but one can also count fish, can't one? E.g.: Yesterday I had fish for lunch and fish for dinner. So I had two fish yesterday. One doesn't say, so I had two fishes yesterday, does one?
So maybe the problem is easier to solve with an example. Would you say
But now I am as clever as I was before. I understand that it's a word that one can count, but one can also count fish, can't one? E.g.: Yesterday I had fish for lunch and fish for dinner. So I had two fish yesterday. One doesn't say, so I had two fishes yesterday, does one?
So maybe the problem is easier to solve with an example. Would you say
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Incidentally, "fishes" is the alternative plural form of "fish". But it's seldom used.
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I thought 'fishes' was used when referring to different species of fish.
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Yes, that would be the most common use. But it isn't required that "fishes" be used when talking about different species.
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As long as we're tutoring others in the language, let's make sure to be extra careful about spelling as well. Pealed refers to the sound a bell made (past tense). To peal is to ring -- as in "It is pleasant to hear the bells peal in the afternoon." The proper spelling for the word describing the act of removing an unwanted portion of a food (such as a shell or hard out
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Therefore: "This packet contains 25 peeled and salted shrimp."I'd be inclined to disagree. I would use 'shrimps' in this context.
MrP
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Maybe this is a British/American difference. I just checked several grocery ads, and all refer to "shrimp", not "shrimps." ("Large Cooked Tail-on Shrimp," "Easy Peel White Shrimp," "Freshwater Jumbo Shrimp," "Jumbo, Cooked, Peeled Cocktail Shrimp" and -- brace yourselves -- "Raw Shell On EZ Peel Shrimp." All of these packages contain more than one shrimp.
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