Sorry if this sounds like a rant

[Surface Breamer]

Something that has bugged me for a while is that a lot of people around write breams when bream is a collective noun like "sheep" or "fish" and there is no need for the "s". I was recently in Asia and I noticed that all the magazines over there say breams and that is probably where the confusion comes from.

Also the same applies for fishing gear, it isn't fishing gears. A collection of items are commonly known as gear, but a collection of rotating mechanical parts such as those found in a car or fishing reel are known as gears. I noticed even Daiwa ads in Asia made this mistake.

There I said it.. Rant over..

[Piscator]

I blame it on the Goberment for there lak of phunding four ower skool sistem

Wat hapend to tha three r's.

[Minnows]

me gots manys breams gears

[pinkey]

It has always givin me a chuckle Dan, worthy rant

[EG Rossco]

You are quite right regarding your examples Surface Breamer.................however................... if you were to catch 2 different species of breams you would use the plural as I have just done!!!!

[Piscator]

Originally Posted by EG Rossco

You are quite right regarding your examples Surface Breamer.................however................... if you were to catch 2 different species of breams you would use the plural as I have just done!!!!

I'd have to disagree (Ive been sucked in to this, dont know why Im posting) with your interpretation. People dont say they have 2 sheeps do they its always going to be, and correctly, 2 sheep. Same for Bream, species doesn't come into it

[Cortinaboy]

Ummm, no you wouldn't EG. Not unless you also talk about Merino and Suffolk being two breeds of sheeps.

[EG Rossco]

If you have one Suffolk and one Merino you have 2 sheep because they are of the same species as they produce fertile offspring, so this is no arguement....

All Australian bream are of the family Sparidae but different genus in some cases and species in all cases, here lies the difference!

Sheep are of the family bovidae, as are mountain goats and antelope.......

AND.............

just for good measure the collective noun for sheep is either flock or drove and the collective noun for fish is either school, shoal or run!!!!!!!

If you catch a bream and a mullet you have 2 different fishes........

TRUST ME!

[Piscator]

The point being you dont say a flock of sheeps or a shoal/school of fishes!!!

I still dont think species enters into the equation, the original posting was all about grammar!

[EG Rossco]

You don't say flock of sheeps because flock is the collective noun for sheep, and likewise school with fish...........

Let me try and explain.....

Fish is plural AND singular but fishes is a word that can be used when describing fish of different species.....

Dog is singular so dogs MUST be used when referring to 2 or more dogs......

Bream is plural AND singular but can be used when describing bream of different species.......

What does this all mean?

If I catch a black bream and a yellow bream I have 2 bream but I also have 2 different breams!

I suppose given this is the case everyone is right, sorta!!!!!!!

This thread is SO far removed from fishing, lets leave this to the english experts!!!!

[Piscator]

OK Im out.

[EG Rossco]

I'm going breams fishing, taking my wives and 3 kid out for 2 night.....

Have a great weekend everyone

[Surface Breamer]

Yeah, I think you're right I should have said common noun not collective noun. My bad.

[kevvy7]

what the hell guys!!!!!

[Mick]

I know the word 'Breams" was used a lot on another site by a few of us in jest, which started 6-7 years ago and is still used, but I'm guessing people have seen it and picked it up as being the plural for bream. Just love those breams.