Lens? Lense?

[jeffrey moore]

When I was a freshman in college, on the very first day of my English composition class, before she uttered the first word to the class, the professor wrote the following on the board: "If, in any of your written work for this class or on any of the exams, you use the non-word 'alot' you will immediately be given a grade of 'F' for the semester. I am not kidding; trust me on this one."

 

To this day it drives me nuts. Every time a see "alot" written, I have to fight of the urge to scream, "Alot is not a #@%&ing word." Arrgggghh!!

[manuel_franz]

Ah Jeffrey. I am right there with you. It drives me crazy when people write "alot." Perhaps

the confusion is rooted in the word "allot" (as in "you can allot a lot of money"). In the end,

language is dynamic and words and their meanings change over time. Sooner or later you

and I will have to get used to the idea that "alot" is acceptable. For some reason, I always

thought that "lense" was simply British and "lens" American (sort of like "tyre" and "tire." I

must admit that I never looked it up.

[vdp]

How about Lenz, or better yet Lentz?

[Gup]

Byron, are you sure your fingers don't get 'jittery'?

 

Last night I spotted 3 deer on the way home.

I celebrated with 3 beers.

 

Gup.

[andrew robertson]

Results 1 - 100 of about 2,630,000 for lense.

 

Results 1 - 100 of about 49,000,000 for lens.

[pto189]

Main Entry: lens<br>

<b>Variant(s): also lense /'lenz/</b><br>

Function: noun<br>

Etymology: New Latin lent-, lens, from Latin, lentil; from its shape

1 a : a piece of transparent material (as glass) that has two opposite regular surfaces either both curved or one curved and the other plane and that is used either singly or combined in an optical instrument for forming an image by focusing rays of light b : a combination of two or more simple lenses c : a piece of glass or plastic used (as in safety goggles or sunglasses) to protect the eye<br>

2 : a device for directing or focusing radiation other than light (as sound waves, radio microwaves, or electrons)<br>

3 : something shaped like a biconvex optical lens <lens of sandstone>

4 : a highly transparent biconvex lens-shaped or nearly spherical body in the eye that focuses light rays (as upon the retina) -- see EYE illustration<br>

5 : something that facilitates and influences perception, comprehension, or evaluation <the author's own lens seems blurred by bias -- Seymour Topping><br>

- lensed /'lenzd/ adjective<br>

- lens?less /'lenz-l&s/ adjective<br>

[manuel_franz]

I like the German word for it: Objektiv.

[manuel_franz]

I like the German word for it: Objektiv. But of course, you could spell that with an "e" as

well (let alone replace the "k" with "c" to "anglofy" it. What are we gonna do?

[manuel_franz]

Oh look - me got double post. Must be the Rum.

[bill_thorlin]

Just reading an article in the Daily Bellylaugh which probably explains a lot about this and the UK. Most students studying English up to A Level standard have been "taught" not to worry about the spelling, it is the meaning that counts. Now however there is considerable concern amongst the examiners that the standard of spelling has sunk to new depths and they feel that "they couda done better".

 

The educationalists have a lot to answer for ( non-competitive sport is my favourite rant ) !!

[edgreene]

"Lens" = singular<br>Lense(s) =plural

[andrew robertson]

No.

 

Lens = singular.

 

Lenses = plural.

 

The way you put it, Ed, it seems that one could use lense or lenses as a plural, which is

wrong.

[richard_oleson]

Hi Bill:

 

It's not just the UK; my daughters got that same "don't try to spell" qrappe when they were in elementary school. It really bothered my older daugher, as she already knew how to spell many words correctly and her teacher seemed to insist that she misspell to free herself from this burden......

 

Even later, a teacher marked points off on one of her papers for a reference to a Mourning Dove, which the teacher insisted should be spelled "Morning". Yes, this was an ENGLISH teacher (I guess at least we should be glad it wasn't a Biology teacher....)

 

Uv corse, sints the langwidge iz contunurilly evaulving enniwhey, aye gess theyrze noe reel sutch thinge azze "cerreckt" speling enihowwe, sow wye werrie ubbowt itt..... yew kin unnerstant hwut ime ritin, caintcha?

 

:)=

[neild]

So, how about the plural for roof: rooves, or roofs? I always used to think it was rooves, like leaves is the plural of leaf (or is that actually leafs?), but google assures me it is roofs... uh, I dunno - whatever!