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Book Of Mormons Or Books Of Mormon


Rivers

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Both terms were used interchangeably in my Elder's quorum lesson.  Is one phrase really more proper than the other?  Or is best to say "copies of the Book of Mormon?" I personally use the phrase "Book of Mormons" most often. Are there any english majors here that can give some elightenment on this critical issue. 

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Books of Mormon is the proper plural form. Same as Attorneys General, Courts Martial, etc.

See item #9 in the New Fowler's Modern English Usage, 3rd ed., edited by R. W. Burchfield (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), page 602.

I guess that settles it then.

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If there are 2 men with the title " Earl of Windsor " , would we say there are 2 Earls of Windsor or 2 Earl of Windsors ? Then again , it does sound strange when we shorten the name to BoM. 2 BsoM or 2 BoMs?

By the way, NEVER say you are taking your BoM on the plane !!!

Edited by strappinglad
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Books of Mormon is the proper plural form.  Same as Attorneys General, Courts Martial, etc.

 

See item #9 in the New Fowler's Modern English Usage, 3rd ed., edited by R. W. Burchfield (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), page 602.

That is the proper form but I believe in proactively making positive changes in language and will continue to call them Book of Mormons.

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The way to resolve the question is to ask, "What's being modified from singular to plural?"  Hence:

 

Singular: "Mother Superior"

 

Plural: "Mothers Superior"

 

Singular: "Book of Mormon"

 

Plural: "Books of Mormon," or, I suppose, technically, "Copies of the Book of Mormon"

Edited by Kenngo1969
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"Book of Mormons" rolls off the toungue easier for me.

I dearly hope, ungrammatical as it may be, that it rolls more easily off of your tongue! :P

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Yep, books of mormon.  If you had ever watched The Best Two Years, you would have already known that.   ;)

"I know that Joseph Smith was a pamphlet." :D:rofl::D

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The way to resolve the question is to ask, "What's being modified from singular to plural?"  Hence:

 

Singular: "Mother Superior"

 

Plural: "Mothers Superior"

 

Singular: "Book of Mormon"

 

Plural: "Books of Mormon," or, I suppose, technically, "Copies of the Book of Mormon"

"Copies of the Book of Mormon" makes the most sense to me because there is only one book that Mormon put together.  In the case of "mothers superior" there is more than one mother.

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Both terms were used interchangeably in my Elder's quorum lesson.  Is one phrase really more proper than the other?  Or is best to say "copies of the Book of Mormon?" I personally use the phrase "Book of Mormons" most often. Are there any english majors here that can give some elightenment on this critical issue. 

 

It depends on what you consider "Book of Mormon" to be.

 

If you consider it to be a complete title "The Book of Mormon" then "Book of Mormons" would be correct, as in "Bibles", "Korans", "Don Quixotes" ""DaVinci Codes" etc.  As in, I sold 3 Don Quixotes and 4 DaVinci Codes and 5 Book of Mormons.

 

If you consider it to be a possessive, ie, Mormon's Book, then "Books of Mormon" would be more correct, as there are more books containing the record of Mormon, or I sold 4 of Mormon's book.

 

Personal choice I think, at least that's this bookseller's opinion.

Edited by JLHPROF
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It depends on what you consider "Book of Mormon" to be.

If you consider it to be a complete title "The Book of Mormon" then "Book of Mormons" would be correct, as in "Bibles", "Korans", "Don Quixotes" ""DaVinci Codes" etc. As in, I sold 3 Don Quixotes and 4 DaVinci Codes and 5 Book of Mormons.

If you consider it to be a possessive, ie, Mormon's Book, then "Books of Mormon" would be more correct, as there are more books containing the record of Mormon, or I sold 4 of Mormon's book.

Personal choice I think, at least that's this bookseller's opinion.

This is what has always made sense to me. I understood that the correct way to say it was Books of Mormon, but always felt it was a title at this point so I never understood why it wasn't Book of Mormons.

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If there are 2 men with the title " Earl of Windsor " , would we say there are 2 Earls of Windsor or 2 Earl of Windsors ? Then again , it does sound strange when we shorten the name to BoM. 2 BsoM or 2 BoMs?

By the way, NEVER say you are taking your BoM on the plane !!!

Off topic: you can have 2 earls of Windsor? I thought you could only have one and he was it till he died?

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This is what has always made sense to me. I understood that the correct way to say it was Books of Mormon, but always felt it was a title at this point so I never understood why it wasn't Book of Mormons.

 

What are you talking about 'books' or 'persons named Mormon'?  Do you have a case of Mormons or do you have a case of books?

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