THING THAT PUZZLE ME THE MOST!!!

THING THAT PUZZLE ME THE MOST!!!

MICE?? OR MOUSES??

When it comes to learn about noun, there is always many things to be know and some time these new things will puzzle me a lot.One of them is when I learned about irregular noun,how some special words would be in plural form??.For example, plural form for mouse(small furry creature) and for  computer mouse…

The plural of mouse (small furry creature ) is mice, so one might think that the plural of pointing device would also be mice.However , the two words have undergone a differentiation through usage.according to Garner’s Modern American Usage best practice is to pluralize it mouses.that also goes for timid people (“when it comes to warfare, he’s a real mouse. In fact, he comes for a long line of mouses”).similarly, whereas the plural of louse, the small wingless insects, lice, the plural of louse, the cad,is louses.

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary (third edition) and fourth edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language endorse both computer mice and computer mouses as correct plural forms forcomputermouse.some authors of technical documents may prefer either mouse devices or the more generic pointing devices. The plural mouses treats mouse as a “headless noun”.Two manuals of style in the computer industry –Sun Technical Publication’s Read Me First: A Style Guide for the Computer and Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical from Microsoft Press-recommend that technical writers use the term mouse devices instead of the alternatives.

Realy, the answer ia either. Both form are used among professional and the general public, and both forms are listed in the Oxford English Dictionary and the Meriam- Webster Dictionary, so use whichever one you prefer.

I suppose that as a human being, Iam limited in my knowledge and capability.I can never hope to understand every thing that I find puzzling.The only course that remains is to keep on learning about this great puzzle so that we may find some understanding.