Grammar PSA: It could be verse. BUT IT'S NOT.

[athelind]

This is one that's been popping up with increasing and irritating regularity, so I'd just like to state for the record:

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"Versus"
is not a plural,
and its singular is not
"Verse."

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This is more of a verbal error than a written one, thus far, largely because in writing, everyone tends to use "vs." -- but it's one I keep hearing more and more often, from people who should know better. "Pirates vs. Ninja" gets pronounced as "Pirates verse Ninja".

Let's see what Your Obedient Serpent's Grammar Guide says about this:

Yes, both "Verse" and "Versus" can be abbreviated as "vs.", but they are not interchangeable!

Stop it at once. Where did you learn this?

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Comments

[kfops.livejournal.com]

Obviously you've just uncovered a niche concept for combat poetry!

Limerick versus Haiku!

Verses versus verses!

SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!

[foofers.livejournal.com]

"Pirates vs. Ninja" gets pronounced as "Pirates verse Ninja".

Seriously? If I heard somebody do that I'd probably punch them in the face.

And this is coming from someone who flunked high school English.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

I would either hurt my hand or my car radio.

[normanrafferty.livejournal.com]

One suspects auto-complete is at work.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

... if I kept seeing it in writing, maybe, but verbally?

[araquan.livejournal.com]

Were they usually talking fast enough that they just carelessly dropped the syllable?

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Generally speaking, they enunciate it fairly clearly.

[tailypo.livejournal.com]

Whoa, this is one mistake I've never heard. Thank god.