What Webster's 3rd States About Incidences

[Scott Goodhue <goodhue -at- SMTPGATE -dot- DISCLOSURE -dot- COM>]

     Golly, all this fracas over incidents/incidences...Webster's 3rd
     Edition is considered America's OED, #1 in 'Merican academics.  Well
     here's the proof from the pudding:

     Look at page 1142 for the definition of incidence.  There you will
     find incidence/[pronunciation]/N [in italics] -s.

     That "-s" at the end indicates that to make incidence plural, ad an
     "s".

     How do I know that -s is what I say it is?  Refer to explanation 15A
     under inflectional forms, section 4.4 and 4.5:

     "...a noun that has only a regular English plural formed by adding the
     suffix -s or the suffix -es or by changing the final -y to -i- and
     adding the suffix -es is indicated by an -s or -es following the label
     N [italics]...[examples] bird...N[italics] -s, love...N[italics]
     -s...."

     "...all standard English nouns can have regular English plurals...such
     endings are give analogically in this dictionary to nouns that may
     little be used in the plural...All that their presence means in cases
     of doubtful frequency is that these plurals are available for use if
     needed..."

     You'll find that most nouns in the English language are made plural by
     adding an -s or -es.  Naturally, there are exceptions such as those
     that end in "f," "ff," or "fe."

     Oh, by the way, "remember his past negligences" is used in the
     definition of negligence!