Plural term for collective nouns

Question

0 I understand that certain nouns (collective nouns?) that do not have a plural word. E.g. aircraft, rain and perspiration. However, I come across such usage, specially in Asia. "Many aircraftS are taking off and landing at this airport."  or "Beads of perspirationS fell from his forehead".02br00Are there actually such words as aircraftS and perspirationS?0-

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

0I consider both unacceptable.0-

Paco2004 · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Hvpl12cite10I understand that certain nouns (collective nouns?) that do not have a plural word. E.g. aircraft, rain and perspiration. However, I come across such usage, specially in Asia. "Many aircraftS are taking off and landing at this airport." or "Beads of perspirationS fell from his forehead".12br
10Are there actually such words as aircraftS and perspirationS?12br
12blockquote

10Hello Hvpl02br
02br
00Welcome to this Forum. I too am an English learner from an East Asian country.02br
02br
00As for perspiration, my English-Japanese dictionary says "perspiration" is sometimes used as a countable noun, but I think that usage is very rare. Google gives 5,388,000 English pages for "perspiration" but only 16,000 pages for "perspiration". But there seems some people who say "profuse perspirations" on the analogy of "profuse tears". 02br
02br
00"Aircraft" is commonly used as a collective noun but it is sometimes used as a countable nouns.02br
00(EX) President Roosevelt said that the United States would build 6000 military aircraft.02br
00(EX) The United States contemplated building an aircraft the size of a football field.02br
00(EX) We made a decision to send aircraft -- heavy cargo aircrafts to help in the rescue operations. 02br
02br
00paco 0-

Teo · Answer

1b00Aircraft02b00 is a countable noun, not a collective noun. Its plural form is also 01b00aircraft02b00. 02br
02br
00For example, an aircraft, two aircraft, a sheep, two sheep.0-

Paco2004 · Answer

0 "Aircraft" can be singular and plural forms for a countable noun "aircraft", but it also can behave like a collective noun.02br
02br
00paco 0-

Anonymous · Answer

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aircraft (aircraft or aircrafts is okay)

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/perspiration (perspiration is only okay)

Anonymous · Answer

No, Wiktionary said "aircrafts" is incorrect, but that it is becoming common to hear it pronounced that way. "Aircrafts" is not okay. Same goes for spacecrafts or watercrafts...or sheep.

Anonymous · Answer

These nouns without plurals can put into the plural in certain specific contexts, for example:

The rains came early this year. (This is a well-established and frequently heard usage.)

Words like aircraft and perspiration are difficult to put into plural form, but they can be forced into it in certain very specific contexts:

Because of the erupting volcano and the resulting hazardous flying conditions, aircrafts from many destinations started to land at the remote island airport. (This unusual, emergency situation enables the unconventional usage.)

Research scientists at deodorant manufacturers test all kinds of perspirations from all over the world. (Again, the unusual situation enables the unconventional usage.)

Plural term for collective nouns

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