Fly and Flies: Singular and Plural Usage

My little honey trick
Originally uploaded by Q8LT.

A common error in English usage is to use singular and not plural. This error reveals the speaker's poor grammar, and English as a second language. For example, you should say, "there is a fly in my soup." Do not say, "there is fly in my soup." That is incorrect and sounds wrong to the trained American and English ear.

Another example would be to say, "there are bugs in my code," and not, "there is bug in my code." Either there is one bug, a bug, or there are two bugs, many bugs.

Cloud Nine

Camera in the Clouds2
Originally uploaded by [trevor].

To say you are "on cloud nine" or "walking on air" are expressions for feeling highly inspired, in love with life and existence. In an NPR radio interview with the Reverend William Sloane Coffin the chaplain of Yale University explains the expression as a spiritual state of grace. As human beings "our value is a gift, not an achievement, that love does not seek value, but creates it." He explains that we do not climb up to Cloud Nine ourselves, we are levitated there by the love of others, that somebody else did for you what you could not do for yourself.

A Lot On Your Plate

pancakes 013
Originally uploaded by hellebelle.

Biting off more than you can chew, or having a lot on your plate, is a similar way of saying your reach exceeds your grasp. My grandma who lived to 100 always said, "Everything in moderation, even moderation."


dinner
Originally uploaded by eh

Reach for the Sky

Reach for the Sky
Originally uploaded by Peter F. Martin.

Your reach exceeds your grasp is the expression for ambition beyond your own limits. If you know your limitations, you will avoid accidents, unkept promises and misfortunes. On the other hand, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

To think, imagine and say you can do something is not enough. It must be do-able, realistically achievable. If you set the bar too high for yourself, you may never get anything done.

Can you really touch the sky? Of course... the sky that is 2 or 3 feet in front of you at the moment. Can you really touch the stars? No, you will be horribly burned.

Pimpettes!

Pimpettes!
Originally uploaded by czech_beauty_miss_robyn.

A pimpette would mean a small imitation female pimp. But these beauties must be joking, because they are not completely small, and they are probably not pimps either.

Adding "ette", from the old French, to an English word is a common method to append the word and designate feminine, diminutive size, or imitation characteristics. A kitchenette is a small kitchen. Leatherette is imitation leather. A sermonette is a short sermon. The Rockettes are the famous Radio City Music Hall dancers.

A pimp is commonly a man who finds customers for female prostitues. Pimp has more recently become a verb for promoting yourself, usually online. The 2005 movie Hustle And Flow features the Academy Award winning song, It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp.

Water Under The Bridge

Forth Rail Bridge
Originally uploaded by Duncan_Smith.

The expression water under the bridge is a way to refer to past history, events that are over and done with. In a subtle way, this expression has a slightly negative tone or unfortunate connotation, to overcome regrets and offer foregiveness. Perhaps you bad luck and lost a little money gambling. In order to move on with your life you might say, it was water under the bridge. Or if you had an argument with a friend and you want to forgive and forget it, then you say the argument was water under the bridge. Life does go on. Go with the flow.