商務(wù)英語寫作指南：詞組的復(fù)數(shù)要怎么加？

As you know, in English you generally make a word plural by adding an ‘s’ at the end. There seems to be some confusion, though, about how to make plurals of terms made up of more than one word. For example, do you say bicycles shops or bicycle shops? Do you say power of attorneys or powers of attorney?

眾所周知，在英語中要把一個名詞變成復(fù)數(shù)，只要在這個詞的后面加上“s”就行了。不過，當(dāng)一個名詞變成了由幾個名詞組成的詞組時，就讓人摸不著頭腦了。舉個例子，如果你要表示自行車商店的復(fù)數(shù)形式，你是用“bicycles shop”還是“bicycle shops”?在表示授權(quán)書的復(fù)數(shù)時，你是說“power of attorneys”還是“powers of attorney”?

The answers are bicycle shops and powers of attorney.

正確的說法是“bicycle shops”和“powers of attorney”。

The rule is that you pluralise the “head” of the term.

名詞詞組復(fù)數(shù)變化的規(guī)則就是：變“重點詞”。

The term bicycle shop is typical of most noun groups. The “head” is the last word in the group. The previous word or words act as an adjective. So the last word in the group is pluralised. Here are some more examples:

“自行車商店”這個名詞詞組是一個很典型的例子。在這個詞組中，重點詞是最后一個詞，即商店(shop);前面的詞或者詞組只是起到了一個形容詞的修飾作用而已。因此，在這個詞組中，最后一個詞變成了復(fù)數(shù)形式。更多類似的例子：考生如果怕自己錯過考試報名時間和考試時間的話，可以 免費預(yù)約短信提醒，屆時會以短信的方式提醒大家報名和考試時間。

Bank account => Bank accounts

銀行賬戶

Company car => Company cars

公司用車

Price limit => Price limits

價格限制

Termination notice => Termination notices

終止通知

Service charge payment => Service charge payments

服務(wù)費收費

Employee share option scheme => Employee share option schemes

雇員股份認購權(quán)計劃

However, a term like power of attorney acts rather differently. Power is the “head” and of attorney is an adjectival phrase which describes the “head”. Here are some other examples of terms that behave in the same way:

然而，像授權(quán)書這樣的詞組就又是另外一番解釋了。在這個詞組中，重點詞是權(quán)利(power)，律師(attorney)一詞只是用來充當(dāng)形容詞的修飾成分。更多類似的例子：

Article of association => Articles of association

公司章程

Code of conduct => Codes of conduct

行為守則

Conflict of interest => Conflicts of interest

利益沖突

Course of action => Courses of action

行動步驟

Notary public => Notaries public

公證人

Statement of claim => Statements of claim

起訴書

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