Hi Jakub, On 4/27/20 4:14 PM, Jakub Wilk wrote: > * Michael Kerrisk (man-pages) <mtk.manpages@xxxxxxxxx>, 2020-04-20, 08:12: >>> vary → varies ? >>> >>> "This file gives the size of the entropy pool. The semantics of this file " >>> "vary across kernel versions:" >> >> "semantics" is considered a plural noun, so "vary" is right. > > I don't think that's correct. Despite the trailing "s", "semantics" is > not plural; it's uncountable. > > https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/semantics includes > the following examples: > > The semantics of the language _is_ based on a translation, ... > > Action semantics _is_ useful for reasoning about language implementations. So, this to me comes closest to how I use the word: https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/semantics [[ 1 the study of the meaning of words and phrases 2 formal the meaning of a word or expression GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb? In meaning 1, semantics is followed by a singular verb: Semantics is not the same as syntax. In meaning 2, semantics can be followed by a singular or plural verb: The semantics of this phrase is/are difficult to pin down. ]] Obviously there's a bit of variation in what people accept, but for me, in meaning 2 (which matches the case in the man-page), I'd always expect a plural. And then I was about to say: "and it seems the original author of the text was of the same opinion". But then I checked the git log... But do a Google or some such search for "semantics is" vs "semantics are", and you'll see that the latter is very common. Cheers, Michael -- Michael Kerrisk Linux man-pages maintainer; http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/ Linux/UNIX System Programming Training: http://man7.org/training/
