A boaty grammar query.

NealB said:
No mate (Moodsailor #8)! She's 27 feet on deck: then there's a wooden pole what sticks out over the pointed end, and a couple of wooden bits what stick out the back (they help to keep the mast up, I'm told).
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a 27 foot LOD bermudan cutter

fixed it :p
 
NealB said:
I agree with you about "foot", but it offends my sense of plurals (1 foot is correct, but 27 foot seems wrong!).

I prefer 'Bermuda'!
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The plural of foot is indeed feet, but in this case the words "twentyseven foot" is an Adjectival Clause.
"Bermuda" is the Proper Name of an island in the Carribean, but in the context of describing a type of sail, the adjectival form, 'bermudan', is used.
 
English is a strange language. Take currency for instance. Most people would say
100 pounds
100 dollars
100 euro
100 lira
What's the reasoning for adding or omitting the s?
 
Is it to do with the case of the object the 27 foot/feet is an adjective of? (I don't know, I'm of the time when English Grammar was not on the National Curriculum)
 
Spirit (of Glenans) said:
The plural of foot is indeed feet, but in this case the words "twentyseven foot" is an Adjectival Clause.
"Bermuda" is the Proper Name of an island in the Carribean, but in the context of describing a type of sail, the adjectival form, 'bermudan', is used.
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I bow down, in awe, before your profound knowledge of adjectival clauses.

However, I have certainly seen 'bermuda, bermudan and bermudian' used many times, over many years, to describe a triangular sail. A very quick nip into the boating library, shows the great Eric Hiscock (in 'Cruising under sail'), prefers 'bermudian'.
 
Kukri said:
Times change.

In 1950 my ex was advertised in the “Yachting Monthly” by George Jones ;(“GAJ” if you have read the “Yachting Monthly” as long as I have) as “12 ton teak cutter”. No mention of sail shape. Here she is:

View attachment 123371
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A beautifully evocative picture, thank you.

I can't help feeling that you have very probably met my friend.

I thought you were going to make a point about 'ton' versus 'tons'!
 
Irish Rover said:
English is a strange language. Take currency for instance. Most people would say
100 pounds
100 dollars
100 euro
100 lira
What's the reasoning for adding or omitting the s?
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I was doing the sound recording in the committee room in which the introduction of the Euro was introduced. When the civil servant giving the presentation on the introduction of the new currency mentioned that the plural of Euro was "Euro", a Member asked what was the reason for this he was told that it was because plurals were different indifferent languages and this was to be the standard plural across all Euro-group countries.
It seems to be a common convention across many currencies that the plural sounds the same as the singular, for instance Kroner, Baht, Rand etc. , so it's probably not a good example to use in this discussion
 
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Spirit (of Glenans) said:
I was doing the sound recording in the committee room in which the introduction of the Euro was introduced. When the civil servant giving the presentation on the introduction of the new currency mentioned that the plural of Euro was "Euro", a Member asked what was the reason for this he was told that it was because plurals were different indifferent languages and this was to be the standard plural across all Euro-group countries.
It seems to be a common convention across many currencies that the plural sounds the same as the singular, for instance Kroner, Baht, Rand etc. , so it's probably not a good example to use in this discussion
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As I said it's also common to add a suffix for the plural as in pounds, dollars, Krone/Kroner.
 
Hydrozoan said:
Very fine - but perhaps ambiguous, as this teak cutter looks as if it might have tipped the scale at 12 tons. :)
Heavy block gang saw, for disassembling and cutting teak trunks and hardwood trunks, industrial product from the year 1880, digital improved reproduct Stock Photo - Alamy
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Her official displacement is nine tons, with three and a half of that in the keel. In full cruising trim she probably weighed rather more than ten in my time, but James, her present custodian, has more self discipline than I do. She is 6 69/100 tons Register.
 
NealB said:
I supect they (those groovy mods) might well object, so .......... no pics, no details, no inventory.
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Talk to the owners of the website, not the mods as we don't make the rules! We just eject the spammers and people who lose the plot occasionally. It's been a quiet day today. So far I've only ejected two people who were setting up to spam the forums. Mind you the other mods might have ejected a few more.
 
NealB said:
I think use of good English is important: nothing too interlekchewall, just basic stuff.

I'm currently helping a friend write an advert for a boat that he wants to sell.

Should she be described, as "a 27 foot bermudan cutter", or as a "27 feet, bermudan cutter"?

And is she bermuda, bermudan or bermudian rigged?
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If you're going to use 'bermuda' or any any of its variations, it deserves a capital B. (I'd go for Bermudan, but it's probably superfluous - presumably there'll be pics for anyone in doubt.)

You can avoid the feet/foot dilemma by using the abbreviation 'ft', which will also make it snappier and easier on the eye.

My take - '27ft, cutter rigged'
 
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