plural of "performance"

[cguttman]

Hello,

is there a plural of "performance", ie, performances?
For example, the performance of an athlete - is it correct to use the
plural of this word while conveying the same information: "the
performances of athletes"?

I was told that "performances" only pertains to artists. For example,
the performances of artists in a circus.

Chris

[Miss Elaine Eos]

Post by cguttman
is there a plural of "performance", ie, performances?
For example, the performance of an athlete - is it correct to use the
plural of this word while conveying the same information: "the
performances of athletes"?
I was told that "performances" only pertains to artists. For example,
the performances of artists in a circus.

We can measure an athlete's performance.

We can also measure the performance of MANY athletes.

We can attend a performance of a play, musical recital or circus.

If we go twice, we've seen two performances.

<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=homonym>

[cguttman]

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
We can measure an athlete's performance.
We can also measure the performance of MANY athletes.

If we measure the performance for running and swimming of the same
athlete, can I say that measured two performances?

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
We can attend a performance of a play, musical recital or circus.
If we go twice, we've seen two performances.
<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=homonym>

[Miss Elaine Eos]

Post by cguttman

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
We can measure an athlete's performance.
We can also measure the performance of MANY athletes.

If we measure the performance for running and swimming of the same
athlete, can I say that measured two performances?

No. We can say we measured that athlete's performance in two areas.

Post by cguttman

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=homonym>

An athlete's performance is just one thing, even though it can be
measured under many circumstances. It's like his height: we can measure
his height while running, or while swimming, but we've still only
measured the athlete's one and only height, not his heights. There is
only one height or performance.

With a bardic performance, the performance itself is a thing, apart from
the performers. For this reason, there can be two or more of them, and
there can be "performances."

Interestingly, even with multiple things having performance being
measured (as opposed to giving a performance), there's still just the
one.

"My new car really performs well on the highway. Of course, my old car
performed well, too. They both have great performance; I enjoy driving
both of them."

But also...

"That was some performance you gave in the meeting, this morning. While
not quite as entertaining as the one last week, they were both great
performances."

Performance as a measure is singular. Performance as a display can be
plural.

[cguttman]

Thank you. The usage of performance is indeed a bit illogical to me.

Is there an official source that I can use for citation - e.g. a style
guide?

Chris

Post by Miss Elaine Eos

Post by cguttman

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
We can measure an athlete's performance.
We can also measure the performance of MANY athletes.

If we measure the performance for running and swimming of the same
athlete, can I say that measured two performances?

No. We can say we measured that athlete's performance in two areas.

Post by cguttman

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=homonym>

An athlete's performance is just one thing, even though it can be
measured under many circumstances. It's like his height: we can measure
his height while running, or while swimming, but we've still only
measured the athlete's one and only height, not his heights. There is
only one height or performance.
With a bardic performance, the performance itself is a thing, apart from
the performers. For this reason, there can be two or more of them, and
there can be "performances."
Interestingly, even with multiple things having performance being
measured (as opposed to giving a performance), there's still just the
one.
"My new car really performs well on the highway. Of course, my old car
performed well, too. They both have great performance; I enjoy driving
both of them."
But also...
"That was some performance you gave in the meeting, this morning. While
not quite as entertaining as the one last week, they were both great
performances."
Performance as a measure is singular. Performance as a display can be
plural.

[Jack Hamilton]

Post by cguttman
Thank you. The usage of performance is indeed a bit illogical to me.
Is there an official source that I can use for citation - e.g. a style
guide?

English, unlike French or Icelandic, doesn't have an Academy to decide
what's correct. There are several respected style guides (two of the
best known being the Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press
Stylebook), and they sometimes disagree - that's why there's more than
one of them. And there are many books about grammar and usage (not the
same thing as style), which will also differ from each other in some
details.

The best bet is to find some well-respected writers in the field you're
writing for, and do what they do.



--
Jack Hamilton
California
--
<> Qui vit sans folie n'est pas si sage qu'il croit.
<> François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld

[s***@binet.is]

Post by Jack Hamilton

Post by cguttman
Thank you. The usage of performance is indeed a bit illogical to me.
Is there an official source that I can use for citation - e.g. a style
guide?

English, unlike French or Icelandic, doesn't have an Academy to decide
what's correct.

Icelandic does not either. The committee (Íslensk málnefnd) is there
to assist people to find new words etc., it does not decide what is
correct.

[cguttman]

Isn't the plural use of performance related to whether it is countable
or not?

One can refer to the overall performance of an athlete.

If one refers to an athlete's specific performance of individual
activities, wouldn't it be ok to use performances?

For example,

"The 50m and 100m performances of mainland girls in the Asian Games two
years ago had prompted ..."

You would probably not say:

"The 50m and 100m performance of mainland girls in the Asian Games two
years ago had prompted ..."

Chris

Post by Miss Elaine Eos

Post by cguttman

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
We can measure an athlete's performance.
We can also measure the performance of MANY athletes.

If we measure the performance for running and swimming of the same
athlete, can I say that measured two performances?

No. We can say we measured that athlete's performance in two areas.

Post by cguttman

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=homonym>

An athlete's performance is just one thing, even though it can be
measured under many circumstances. It's like his height: we can measure
his height while running, or while swimming, but we've still only
measured the athlete's one and only height, not his heights. There is
only one height or performance.
With a bardic performance, the performance itself is a thing, apart from
the performers. For this reason, there can be two or more of them, and
there can be "performances."
Interestingly, even with multiple things having performance being
measured (as opposed to giving a performance), there's still just the
one.
"My new car really performs well on the highway. Of course, my old car
performed well, too. They both have great performance; I enjoy driving
both of them."
But also...
"That was some performance you gave in the meeting, this morning. While
not quite as entertaining as the one last week, they were both great
performances."
Performance as a measure is singular. Performance as a display can be
plural.

[cguttman]

Post by cguttman
If one refers to an athlete's specific performance of individual
activities, wouldn't it be ok to use performances?

as in say "athletic performances".

Post by cguttman
For example,
"The 50m and 100m performances of mainland girls in the Asian Games two
years ago had prompted ..."
"The 50m and 100m performance of mainland girls in the Asian Games two
years ago had prompted ..."
Chris

Post by Miss Elaine Eos

Post by cguttman

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
We can measure an athlete's performance.
We can also measure the performance of MANY athletes.

If we measure the performance for running and swimming of the same
athlete, can I say that measured two performances?

No. We can say we measured that athlete's performance in two areas.

Post by cguttman

Post by Miss Elaine Eos
<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=homonym>

An athlete's performance is just one thing, even though it can be
measured under many circumstances. It's like his height: we can
measure his height while running, or while swimming, but we've still
only measured the athlete's one and only height, not his heights.
There is only one height or performance.
With a bardic performance, the performance itself is a thing, apart
from the performers. For this reason, there can be two or more of
them, and there can be "performances."
Interestingly, even with multiple things having performance being
measured (as opposed to giving a performance), there's still just the
one.
"My new car really performs well on the highway. Of course, my old
car performed well, too. They both have great performance; I enjoy
driving both of them."
But also...
"That was some performance you gave in the meeting, this morning.
While not quite as entertaining as the one last week, they were both
great performances."
Performance as a measure is singular. Performance as a display can be
plural.

[Chris Croughton]

On Fri, 10 Mar 2006 08:29:05 +1100, cguttman

Post by cguttman
Isn't the plural use of performance related to whether it is countable
or not?

Sort of, but trying to derive it as a rule like that it likely to lead
to incorrect use.

Post by cguttman
One can refer to the overall performance of an athlete.

Correct.

Post by cguttman
If one refers to an athlete's specific performance of individual
activities, wouldn't it be ok to use performances?

No. If one were referring to a gymnastic event then one might say "the
girl gave two performances of her skills", but that would be referring
to the occasions not to how well she performed. When referring to her
scores one would use the singular form, "her performance in the events
this year was better than last year".

Post by cguttman
For example,
"The 50m and 100m performances of mainland girls in the Asian Games two
years ago had prompted ..."

No. That sounds as though they were doing dramatic or musical events as
entertainment.

Post by cguttman
"The 50m and 100m performance of mainland girls in the Asian Games two
years ago had prompted ..."

Yes, we would in English. Although it would be better expressed as:

"The performance of mainland girls in the 50m and 100m categories in
the Asian Games two years ago had prompted ..."

In English the term 'performances' almost always refers to dramatic or
musical events, things which are events in themselves and normally
intended as entertainment, and not measurements.

It is best to regard them as distinct words which happen to have the
same spelling and pronunciation.

Chris C

[cguttman]

Thanks guys!
This was a helpful lesson, I will have to replace the word
"performances" with performance in my thesis.
Chris

Post by Chris Croughton
On Fri, 10 Mar 2006 08:29:05 +1100, cguttman

Post by cguttman
Isn't the plural use of performance related to whether it is countable
or not?

Sort of, but trying to derive it as a rule like that it likely to lead
to incorrect use.

Post by cguttman
One can refer to the overall performance of an athlete.

Correct.

Post by cguttman
If one refers to an athlete's specific performance of individual
activities, wouldn't it be ok to use performances?

No. If one were referring to a gymnastic event then one might say "the
girl gave two performances of her skills", but that would be referring
to the occasions not to how well she performed. When referring to her
scores one would use the singular form, "her performance in the events
this year was better than last year".

Post by cguttman
For example,
"The 50m and 100m performances of mainland girls in the Asian Games two
years ago had prompted ..."

No. That sounds as though they were doing dramatic or musical events as
entertainment.

Post by cguttman
"The 50m and 100m performance of mainland girls in the Asian Games two
years ago had prompted ..."

"The performance of mainland girls in the 50m and 100m categories in
the Asian Games two years ago had prompted ..."
In English the term 'performances' almost always refers to dramatic or
musical events, things which are events in themselves and normally
intended as entertainment, and not measurements.
It is best to regard them as distinct words which happen to have the
same spelling and pronunciation.
Chris C

[Chris Croughton]

On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 10:53:58 +1100, cguttman

Post by cguttman
is there a plural of "performance", ie, performances?
For example, the performance of an athlete - is it correct to use the
plural of this word while conveying the same information: "the
performances of athletes"?
I was told that "performances" only pertains to artists. For example,
the performances of artists in a circus.

They are different things, which happen to use the same word.

A measurement of performance is a continuous thing, it doesn't have a
plural. So an athlete may have performed better than any previous
performance (not performances).

A dramatic event is also called "a performance", but in this case it is
a discrete event and so there can be multiples of them.

Of course, this is confused when the performance (measurement) of a
gymnast may be reckoned by their performance (event) in public. But
then English is not a logical language.

There's more illogic in that some other continuous measurements (depth,
time, etc.) can take plural forms...

Chris C