for an ad-free Fetcheveryone experience!

Grammar pedants - help please.

97 watchers

LindsD Jul 2022 3:45pm, 5 Jul 2022 55,513 posts	0 LindsD (it was a pure gut reaction on my part)
RichHL Jul 2022 11:49pm, 5 Jul 2022 19,235 posts	0 RichHL Seems okay to me, as the title of something.
Fitz Aug 2022 9:44am, 5 Aug 2022 2,825 posts	0 Fitz "A myriad of..." as heard on a trailer for a forthcoming programme on BBC R4 this morning. My gears were grinding on hearing that.
swittle Aug 2022 9:49am, 5 Aug 2022 89,353 posts	0 swittle "A myriad of..." as heard on a trailer for a forthcoming programme on BBC R4 this morning. My gears were grinding on hearing that. My Liddell & Scott shows 'myriad' meaning 'ten thousand'. 'A ten thousand...' reads awkwardly, I think. This Wikipedia article states usage as adjective or noun, so, as usual, context will be all.
Fitz Aug 2022 11:42am, 5 Aug 2022 2,827 posts	0 Fitz We were taught in school that the use of "myriad" was the same as "many" - I have myriad options, not a myriad of options. I made many mistakes, not a many of mistakes. Usage does seem to be shifting over time, but it still always jars when I hear "a myriad of..."
Pothunter Aug 2022 1:34pm, 5 Aug 2022 6,416 posts	0 Pothunter Glad it’s not just me!
JCB Aug 2022 2:17pm, 5 Aug 2022 3,372 posts	0 JCB Just think of it as plethora, perhaps?
JCB Aug 2022 2:19pm, 5 Aug 2022 3,373 posts	0 JCB Myriad also means exceptionally great number.
Dvorak Aug 2022 7:28pm, 5 Aug 2022 25,719 posts	0 Dvorak Isn't that a plethorum?
swittle Aug 2022 9:00pm, 5 Aug 2022 89,370 posts	0 swittle 'plethora' is not a classical Greek (Attic) word but exists as an Ionic form as 'plethore', where the final 'e' was probably pronounced as 'air'. Its plural would be 'plethorai'. Note: these are letter-by-letter transcriptions. In Latin, 'pletura' is a post-Classical form.