Hi, Roy!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:   
      
    ak>>  1. in the second paragraph: "But the notion of floating   
    ak>>  disc-shaped aircraft wasn't considered fanciful by   
    ak>>  governments and militaries around the world."   
      
    ak>>  Why the author has not put "a" before "floating disc-   
    ak>>  shaped aircraft"?   
      
    ml>>  "aircraft", in that context, is plural...   
      
    ml>>  "aircraft" is like "deer" where it is both singular and   
    ml>>  plural... the context used tells which one is being used...   
      
    AH>   Agreed....  :-)   
      
    RW>   Any agreement should be based on the previous context   
    RW>   to the above.   
      
      
             Hmm... perhaps I should have answered in more detail.   
      
             I think "aircraft" is comparable to "deer" in that while some folks   
   may add "s" for the plural there's no inflection in standard English.   
      
             As to whether "aircraft" is plural in the above... that's the way I   
   read it.  I often do get after Alexander about quoting enough of the context.   
   I'm also inclined to a$$ume, however, that where "governments and militaries"   
   are involved the author probably isn't referring to an isolated case....  ;-)   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)