"The two plants were found to belong to the same phylum." What is the irregular plural of phylum?

Question

"The two plants were found to belong to the same phylum." What is the irregular plural of phylum?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Restating the task: determine the irregular plural form of the word 'phylum' as used in biology.

Since this is a short-answer prompt, there are no multiple-choice options to evaluate here. The key concept is that 'phylum' has an irregular plural form, not simply adding an regular -s to form 'phylums'.

- The irregular plural form of phylum is commonly written as 'phylum' -> 'phyla'. This reflects a traditional irregular plural pattern seen in several scientific terms borrowed from Latin or Greek roots.
- Capitalization can affect the appearance of the plural. When used as a word at the start of a sentence or as a proper noun, you might write 'Phyla'. When used in the middle of a sentence as a common noun, you would typically write 'phyla'. The underlying plural form is the same; only capitalization changes.
- A related, more regular plural form sometimes encountered is 'phylums', which follows the standard English rule of simply adding -s. However, this is less preferred in scientific usage because it does not reflect the traditional irregular plural pattern.

In summary, the standard irregular plural is 'phyla' (lowercase) and 'Phyla' (capitalized). The regular plural 'phylums' exists but is generally considered less appropriate in formal scientific writing.

CLA 030 001 WQ 2025 Homework 41: New Words with Familiar Morphemes, p. 354

"The two plants were found to belong to the same phylum." What is the irregular plural of phylum?

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