How correctly to write: stockings or stockings?

About how to properly say - "stocking" or "stockings", thought for sure, every once in a lifetime. Indeed, the genitive of plural nouns often causes difficulty. However, there are ways-hints, thanks to which you can forever remember which option is right - "stocking" or "stockings".

Endings of nouns in the genitive plural

The rules of choice in this position, although they exist, but the patterns are so inconsistent and numerous that it is rather difficult to understand them. It is only known that the endings in this case for nouns are the following: -y, -ov, -ev or zero. School often gives such a comic example of the choice of phrases: "Fish do not have a tooth," "Fish have no teeth," or "The fish have no teeth." Naturally, it will be correct to say "The fish do not have teeth," but the joke usually works. After all, the guys loudly laugh at these proposals and understand that being literate is finding the right options and not being ridiculous to others.

Zero ending in the genitive plural

The difficulty with declension in many causes the word "stocking". Choosing the genitive case in the plural - "stocking" or "stockings", you should remember the rule. It is that words with a zero ending in the initial form, denoting the objects of shoes or clothing worn on their feet, in the genitive plural have also a zero ending. "There were a lot of people at the bonfire in broad-brimmed hats, gray overalls and high boots. Stockings on men, emphasizing their belonging to a higher society, was not. "

To make a suit is not to attack, but how correctly to write?

It would seem that everything is so simple! But in all the rules there are exceptions. So in the presented case is the word "sock", which in the position of interest, we have the same ending. That's what confuses people, because socks and stockings are very similar! For example: "I decided to build a Renaissance nobleman's outfit for myself at the carnival, but I could not buy a stocking - there were simply no men's sizes in the store. Then I built imitation stockings from socks. " In the last sentence, obviously a mistake is made, because you should write "imitation stockings", choosing the zero variant of the end!

A tip for selecting an option ("stocking" or "stockings")

Most people try not to go into the understanding of complex patterns, but try to just remember the right options. In order not to confuse the endings of the words "sock" and "stocking", a hint was invented - "the shorter, the longer". That is, socks - clothes, worn on the legs, with short pagolenkami, and stockings have a length almost to the hip. Proceeding from the presented clue, for "long apparel" - a stocking - the "short variant", that is, the zero ending, is chosen . But for "short clothing" - socks - you should choose the option with the ending -ov.

Why do you need to write correctly?

Faced with the difficulties of spelling, many are trying to find the easiest way out. And this is the assertion that the ability to write correctly is not at all necessary for those who by profession are not connected with the science, culture or leadership of other people. Like, the sellers or janitors rules of the Russian language to anything! However, you can argue here. It is necessary to be a cultural one regardless of the position you occupy - this time. And it is easy to show one's ignorance in any profession. For example, the seller can write with errors an ad and thereby cause a mockery of buyers. And to become a laughing stock is easy, if a person does not know how to write: "selling stockings" or "stockings", "coats" or "polt", "apples" or "apples". And do not assume that the ad with errors will attract more buyers, than beautifully and correctly compiled.

Five stockings - this is how much?

Another difficulty can be encountered by the seller when composing a discount ad. For example, you need to write about the fact that when you buy five pairs of stockings the sixth pair will go as a gift. How, then, will it be right, if we do not use the word "pair": "five stockings" or "five stockings"? It is known that collective numerals, which is the word "five", are combined with paired inanimate nouns. Consequently, the expression "five stockings" is perfectly acceptable. Having read such an announcement will understand that we are talking about ten subjects, which in total make up five pairs. After all, collective numbers refer to the pairing of nouns. But the explanation of the expression "five stockings" will be from the series "Around the laughter." Or it can be attributed to an almost detective story called: "Five stockings, or Look for a one-legged!"

The phrase "five stockings" will be received with a laugh. And this is understandable. After all, if four pairs of stockings with enough luck still theoretically can be made up of two pairs, then who needs the fifth single object? Only a one-man person. Although, if the sixth stocking will be added as a gift, then, perhaps, it makes sense to participate in the action ... But in fact, one by one, stockings are not sold for us yet! Or is it just the case when there will be a sale of items one at a time, and the second will have to be bought separately, looking for it in a common heap? They say that socks and stockings have a supernatural ability to hide from their pair!

Although for a girl named Dlinnichulok, who constantly went to different stockings, it will probably be a pleasure to make a purchase. And what? It is in this outlet that Pippi's stocking will be able to pick up itself, which will be the original stand out among the rest. So it turns out that because of the wrong writing of the ad, the seller can even mislead his customers who do not understand how much stocking to buy in order to receive a gift. Or, turning a stock into a "market humor," such a seller will not derive any material benefit from it. After all, today many fighters for the purity of the Russian language and literacy boycott organizations and sales outlets, where mistakes are made in ads, names or on billboards in tests and words.

So, after reading this article, it's unlikely that someone will get confused and say: "Sell me five stockings!" Or, even more absurd, "Sell me five stockings!"