If you enjoy being out on the water, you might like to try catching some fish. Or is that “fishes? Although both are proper ways to spell the plural form of fish, there are rules about how to use them as both a noun and a verb.
The word fish can describe an animal species, but also represents an action. Both fish and fishes are appropriate to use in both noun and verb form, but they have some specific rules. Let’s look at what this means and how fish and fishes should be used.
What is the Plural of Fish in English?
Fish can be a plural form and singular form and is used when referring to a single group or collection of a specific species of fish. Fishes is a more scientific use when referring to types of fish in a group or collection. You can also conjugate fish to fishes when used as a verb.
When to Use Fish
When used as a noun, fish describes as singular fish or multiple fish. It is a common, well-recognized word and does not require the addition of an “s” to make it plural.
Use fish to describe one fish, a school of fish, or a specific fish species. For example:
- The fish in Lake Ignace were not biting over the weekend.
- We saw three Manta-Ray fish during our glass bottom ocean cruise.
- My fish, Bob, was all alone in the fishbowl before I bought him a snail.
As a verb, use fish to describe the action of catching or trying to catch a fish. It conjugates as a regular verb. For example:
- I love to go fishing with my father.
- Every chance I get, I fish with my group of friends from High School.
- I fished that pond every day after school for a year.
When to Use Fishes
As a noun, fishes is a scientific term that describes more than one species of fish in a group. Fish can be used in its stead, but fishes helps you recognize there is more than one type of fish being referred to. For example:
- The biologist was studying the diversity of the fishes in the isolated mountain lake.
- We saw 15 different types of fishes on our trip.
As a verb, fishes is the simple present conjugation of the word. For example:
- He fishes with a unique cast that allows the fly to hover just above the water’s surface.
- She fishes with her children every chance she gets.
How to Use Fish in a Sentence
These fish emit distress signals that are picked up on by the mulloway. [Fishing World]
The fish are then sold as salted dry or canned. [Food Science, Sari Edelstein]
No fish were registered on Upriver Lakes, where the season has now closed after the 90 percent harvest cap was reached on Sunday. [Fon du Lac Reporter]
How to Use Fishes in a Sentence
Those most in jeopardy were the smaller fishes with specialized eating and sheltering habits. [U.S. News & World Report]
Swim with the fishes at Factory Obscura’s latest art installation. [News 9]
Let’s Review
Fish and fishes are correct spellings and serve as a noun in both singular and plural forms or as a verb. Fish is an acceptable use to describe a single fish or any group of fish. Fishes is used to describe multiple species of fish collectively and is more scientific.
As a verb, fish describes the action of fishing, and fishes is the simple present tense of the word.
What is the plural of Fish?
Do you say fish or fishes?
The plural of fish is almost always …. fish. (No -es at the end)
- 1 fish
- 2 fish (NOT 2 fishes)
Some example sentences:
- I caught three fish yesterday down at the wharf. (caught is the past tense of catch)
- I bought some fish for my aquarium. (bought is the past tense of buy)
There is even a famous book by Dr. Seuss called One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Note how it is two fish and not two fishes.
When can I use fishes?
Fish is used when we are counting individual fish …. one fish, two fish, three fish… etc.
A number of fish of the same species are called ‘fish.’
However in marine biology / zoology etc., ‘fishes‘ refers to more than one species of fish.
We are talking about entire species and NOT individual fish numbers.
- I read a book about the freshwater fishes of New Zealand.
This book talks about the different species of freshwater fish in New Zealand. We use fishes because there is more than one species. We are not counting the number of fish, just the amount of species.
Fish or Fishes?
Imagine you have an small aquarium. In that aquarium there are 6 fish. This means there are total of 6 individual fish. They may be of different types but we are interested in the number of fish and not how many species there are.
If I say there are 6 fishes in my aquarium, it refers to 6 different species of fish. There might by a goldfish, a clownfish and four others including a piranha (ok, maybe not a piranha as it would each the other fish).
However in general everyday English, we would most likely say:
- There are 6 types of fish in my aquarium OR
- There are 6 species of fish in my aquarium.
Also, if you have a bucket of fish. There may be more than one type or species of fish in it though you will normally say:
- I have a bucket of fish. (not fishes)
The verb To fish
To fish means to try and catch fish.
If we conjugate the verb in the simple present tense, it becomes…
- I fish, you fish, we fish, they fish, he fishes, she fishes, it fishes.
Fishes is the third person conjugation of the verb To fish in the simple present tense.
- He fishes from his small boat every afternoon.
Bonus information about Fish
What do you call a group of fish swimming together in the same direction?
A group of fish swimming together is called a school of fish. We don’t say a “group of fish.”
- A school of fish swam by me while I was scuba diving in Fiji.
Something is fishy
Something is fishy means that something appears suspicious and not right. (Informal)
- That guy over there looks fishy. I’m sure he is planning to steal from someone.
- Something doesn’t feel right. I’m sure something fishy is going on.
Did you know there are other words that don’t change in plural form?
- 1 deer – 2 deer
- 1 sheep – 2 sheep
In Summary
- Fish – singular and plural form when counting individual fish
- Fishes – refers to more than one species of fish
Unless you are a marine biologist, you will always use fish as the plural of fish.
Summary Chart
The possessive form can be a tricky thing to figure out. Luckily, this article will aim to help you understand the most obvious things that you need to focus on. We’ll look at “fish” and how the possessive forms work in both the plural and singular cases.
Fishes or Fish’s or Fishes’: Which Is The Correct Possessive Form?
“Fish’s” is the singular possessive and plural possessive of “fish.” We can use “fish” as both the singular and the plural form, and it’s the most common way to use it in English. However, some people prefer using “fishes” as the plural form, allowing “fishes’” to be the correct possessive.
“Fish” is one of those words that doesn’t follow all the standard forms we might expect. After all, it has the same spelling in both singular and plural forms.
Some people get confused by this because it means we have to focus on special possessive rules that aren’t there with other nouns.
Here are the main forms:
| Singular | Fish |
| Plural | Fish’s |
| Singular possessive | Fish / Fishes |
| Plural possessive | Fish’s / Fishes’ |
As you can tell, the singular possessive form is definitely the easiest one to use. There is only one form that we need to worry about. “Fish” is the same no matter how we use it in the singular form.
To turn “fish” into the singular possessive form, we simply add an “‘s” to the end of the word. This is the easiest way for us to show that a “fish” owns an object, and there’s only ever one “fish” referred to in this way.
The plural possessive form is the tricky one, and we’ll spend a lot of time making sure we’ve got it right. Both “fish’s” and “fishes’” are correct as the plural possessive form for “fish.” We add an “‘s” to the end when it’s using the plural form “fish,” but we drop the “S” when we use the form “fishes.”
The most basic form to go through is “fishes.” This is one of the two options we have for the plural of “fish.”
“Fishes” is uncommon, though it is correct as the plural for “fish.” We can use it when we’re talking about more than one “fish” in a sentence.
The plural form for “fish” is both “fish” and “fishes,” which is where a lot of people’s issues lie with the possessive forms. Luckily, we’re only worried about “fishes” in this section, so we’ll focus our examples on that.
- Plenty of fishes has been found swimming in these waters.
- I like a lot of fishes, so I’m not able to pick out my favorite.
- These fishes aren’t particularly popular.
- Many fishes make my father a happy man after a long day out on his boat.
- The fishes in these waters aren’t nearly as edible as those ones!
“Fishes” is an uncommon plural form for “fish.” It’s much more common to use “fish,” but it’s still a valid example.
Fish’s
“Fish’s” is both the singular and plural possessive form of “fish.” It’s not all that confusing once you understand what we mean by that.
“Fish’s” can be the singular possessive form when we take the singular form “fish” and add an “‘s” to the end. It can also be the plural possessive form when taking the plural form “fish” and adding an “‘s” to it.
“Fish’s” can refer to one “fish” owning an object in a sentence. This is how the singular possessive form works and is how we can use it to show ownership.
However, “fish’s” can also refer to more than one “fish” owning an object or group of similar objects. This would make it the plural possessive form, which is a little less common but still something you need to know how to use.
To create the possessive form in either case, we add an “‘s” to the end. This is a common and expected rule, which helps us when it comes to explaining it.
- Singular: The fish’s family is somewhere around these parts.
- Plural: Those fish’s eyes aren’t looking as good as they should do.
- Singular: The fish’s fin is a bit wobbly.
- Plural: The fish’s habitat is slowly being destroyed.
- Singular: The fish’s swimming pattern needs refining.
- Plural: Those fish’s food sources are fallen to pieces when they hit the water!
“Fish’s” works as both the singular or plural possessive forms. The rules are fairly standard for both of them; it’s only the amount of “fish” that changes.
Fishes’
“Fishes’” uses the uncommon plural form “fishes” as its root word. This makes it an uncommon possessive form in itself, and it’s not likely you’ll ever find anyone using this.
While uncommon, “fishes’” is still correct. We use it only as the plural possessive form. It works to talk about multiple “fishes” owning an object or group of similar objects in a sentence.
This time, we drop the “S” after the word because the word “fishes” already ends with an “S.” This is common practice for a lot of plural possessive forms.
- The fishes’ families are all migrating somewhere north.
- These fishes’ needs far outweigh the needs of the ducks in this area.
- Those fishes’ swimming patterns are all messed up.
- Both of the fishes’ tails need correcting.
- Many fishes’ habitats are slowly being ruined by people.
Quiz: Have You Mastered Fishes or Fish’s or Fishes’?
Finally, let’s see how you fare with a quick quiz.
- That (A. fishes / B. fish’s / C. fishes’) scales are magnificent.
- Many (A. fishes / B. fish’s / C. fishes’) ponds are being renovated in this area.
- The (A. fishes / B. fish’s / C. fishes’) have gathered together in the corner.
- This (A. fishes / B. fish’s / C. fishes’) timing is amazing.
- Your (A. fishes / B. fish’s / C. fishes’) eyes are wonky.
Quiz answers
- B
- B or C
- A
- B
- B or C
Final Thoughts
“Fish” is the singular and plural form. Therefore, we can use “fish’s” as the correct singular and possessive plural form. “Fish’s” is the most common form, and it’s not common to see “fishes’” used alongside it. Still, they’re both valid options, and it’s up to you which you prefer.
You may also like: Series or Series’s or Series’? (Possessive Explained)
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There are many creatures that live in the water. Some taste good, and some do not. Some have scales, and others have hard shells.
Fish are one group of these animals. Some English speakers aren’t sure how to refer to more than one fish. Should you use fish, or fishes? Read on to find out.
What is the Difference Between Fish and Fishes?
In this post, I will explore fish vs. fishes. I will use each word in a sentence to illustrate its proper use. Plus, I will show you a helpful trick to use when deciding which of these words to use in your own writing.
When to Use Fish
What does fish mean? Fish can be either a noun or a verb.
As a noun, it refers to a group of aquatic vertebrate animals that use gills to breathe. Fish can be found in most bodies of water. Some are eaten, and some are kept as pets.
Fish can function as both a singular and plural noun. A popular example would be the well-known children’s book One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. It also refers to fish as a food item, without regard to the amount of fish being consumed.
See the sentences below for examples of fish used as a noun.
- Adelle saw a group of fish swimming in the pond.
- Robert has a pet fish named Claire.
- Let’s eat fish for dinner.
- Tens of thousands of dead fish have closed Montana’s Yellowstone River and stirred new worries Monday about lasting impacts to the region’s lucrative outdoors industry. –The Washington Post
As a plural noun, fish is actually the newer term, but, according to the OED, it has been in use since at least 1300, and is now the more common plural form.
As a verb, to fish is to capture aquatic animals through any of several methods. Fishing is a popular pastime, an important industry, and in some parts of the world, a way of life.
Here are some examples,
- Today, I will go to the river and fish for trout.
- Some say that rainy days are the best days to fish.
When to Use Fishes
Fishes can also be a noun or a verb.
As a noun, it is an alternative plural of fish. Although fishes is the older of the two plural forms, its use today is rare and idiomatic, as in the following phrases:
- Jesus fed the crowd with five loaves and two fishes.
- “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes,” Sal said.
It is also sometimes used when referring to more than one species of fish.
For example,
- Perch and bass are two fishes hunted for sport in the American Midwest.
- Fortunately, perceptions of these ancient fishes are slowly changing, as new research and renewed interest from anglers are garnering a more positive image of these misunderstood fishes. –National Geographic
As a verb, it is the third-person present tense of to fish, as in the following sentence:
- Jermaine fishes for salmon, and shares it with his family.
Trick to Remember the Difference
Here is a helpful trick to remember fishes vs. fish.
Using fish as a verb is fairly straightforward, but the same cannot be said of its use as a plural noun.
Unless you are using a specific idiom like those mentioned above, choose fish for most contexts, singular or plural. Fish is the most widely used plural form of the word in English today.
You can remember which word to use by reminding yourself that “fish is salty.” You would not use the phrase “fishes is salty,” so you should not choose fishes for general use.
Summary
Is it fish or fishes? Fish and fishes can both be used as either a verb or a plural noun. To fish is to capture aquatic animals, and as plural nouns, fish and fishes refer to more than one such animal.
You can use the phrase “fish is good” to remind yourself that fish should be used in most situations. If you still have trouble remembering when to use fishes or fish, you can check this article for extra help.
Contents
- 1 What is the Difference Between Fish and Fishes?
- 2 When to Use Fish
- 3 When to Use Fishes
- 4 Trick to Remember the Difference
- 5 Summary
«Fish» and «fishes» represent one of those pairs of almost identical words, that can create a lot of confusion not only due to their similitude, but also due to the numerous meanings they have in different contexts. At a first sight, they might simply look like two versions of the plural for «fish», having you wondering which one is correct.
But taking a closer look, there’s a little more to discuss about «fish» and «fishes» and what they can represent in a phrase, so let’s clear these things up for you!
Fish vs. Fishes
Yes, both words are usual in the English vocabulary and none is completely considered a misspelling. Even so, this doesn’t mean that if you use «fish» instead of «fishes» in an inappropriate context, it won’t be considered misspelled. That makes it important that you are able to make a perfect distinction between «fish» and «fishes» and what message each stands for.
When do we use «fish»?
«Fish» has multiple meanings. First, it is the singular noun referring to an animal with a tail and fins that help him swim and live only inside the water. This noun, anyway, is irregular, which means it doesn’t simply add an «-s» in the end, to form plural. Its plural form, actually, is the same with its singular. As a result, «fish» is also the plural noun, referring to more than one «fish». Nonetheless, «fish» can also be used as a noun referring to food, dish.
And then, «fish» is also a verb, referring to the action of catching fish. Here are some examples to illustrate the contexts where you can use «fish» correctly in English:
Example 1: He caught one fish, but he wants to catch more. — the singular noun referring to one animal that lives in water and swims using its tails and fins.
Example 2: I liked two fish in the pet shop, but I couldn’t choose one. — the plural noun referring to more than one fish.
Example 3: For dinner, we are having fish and rice. — a noun referring to «fish» as dinner.
Example 4: I want to learn how to fish, it might be useful for me in the future. — as a verb, «fish» defines the action of trying to catch a fish.
When do we use «fishes»?
Despite the confusion that has created around this word, «fishes» cannot be used as the plural for «fish», at least not when you refer to more than one fish. But it can be used when referring to more types or species of fish.
Plus, there is one more context where «fishes» is considered correct, and that happens when it is used in present simple, as a verb, at third person.
Example 1: Different fishes have different types of colors, swimming speeds and flavors. — referring to more species of fish.
Example 2: He fishes every day because that’s his job: he is a fisherman! — «fishes» is used as a verb, at present simple, for the third person.
Conclusion
Just as you could see in the previous examples and explanations, there are a lot of meanings that «fish» and «fishes» can take according to the context where they are used. All these meanings are different and, therefore, you should not confuse one for another if you want your message to be properly understood.
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Fish or Fishes?What is the plural for fish? Do we say fish or fishes?
When we come to the plural for the word ‘fish’, it can be quite interesting. Fish, as we all know is a noun. It is the animal that lives in water and has a tail and fins which enable it to swim. We can also have the word ‘fish’ being a verb, which is the process of trying to catch a fish. But we are not interested in the verb ‘Fish’ but rather the noun ‘Fish’.
The plural for the noun ‘fish’ is the same ‘fish’, but the plural can also be ‘fishes’. We use the plural ‘fishes’ when we are talking about different species or types of fish.
Let us look at some examples of ‘fish’ and ‘fishes’ being used in sentences:
- I saw a fish swimming in the river.
- He cooked the food with a lot of fish.
- I saw three fish in the pond.
- There are several thousands of species of fish in the world.
- The fishermen caught several fish yesterday.
- I gave the man a lot of fish yesterday.
NOTE:
- We use the word ‘fish’ when referring to a single fish.
- We use the word ‘fish’ when referring to more than one fish belonging to the same group.
- We use the word ‘fishes’ when referring to different types or species of fish. This term is normally used by biologists.
The noun “fish” has two different, completely acceptable plurals—”fish” and “fishes”—but “fish” is by far the most common plural. It’s what you usually use to refer to a group or collection of fish. For example, if Squiggly brought home a big bag of goldfish from the pet store, Aardvark might ask, “Do you have a bowl for those fish? Do you have food for those fish? What were you thinking buying all those fish?”
“Fishes” tends to be used in more specialized areas and in some well-known sayings.
Scientists use ‘fishes’
For example, scientists who study fish (they’re called “ichthyologists”)— “Ichthys” is Greek for
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“fish” — often refer to different species as fishes. A quick Google Books search returns a bunch of scientific tomes talking about the different kinds of fishes that researchers have found in various regions, such as thirty kinds of fishes off the coast of California and 149 kinds of fishes in Minnesota.
The majority of quotations using the word “fishes” in the Corpus of Contemporary American English are also from scientific publications, like this one from The Fisheries Blog at blogspot.com: “Some deep living fishes like the orange roughy don’t reach maturity until nearly 30 and can live to 125 years.” Those are some old fish!
Aside from scientists, people also use the word “fishes” in certain sayings.
‘Sleep with the fishes’
The movie “The Godfather” popularized the saying that someone who has been killed and dumped in the ocean “sleeps with the fishes” when the Corleone mob family wondered why they couldn’t reach their enforcer, Luca Brasi. While they were wondering, a package arrived with fish wrapped in brown paper and a bullet-proof vest, and the character Peter Clemenza explains, “It’s a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.”
‘Loaves and fishes’
Moving to a less gruesome saying, in the Bible, one of Jesus’ miracles is to feed thousands of followers who had gathered to hear him in a remote location with a small number of loaves and fishes.
“Loaves and fishes” is how I learned it, but when I checked the reference, I did find that the New International Version of the Bible had changed it to simply “fish.” The line in Matthew 14:18 reads, “He directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.” But I still saw it referred to more generally in many places online as the “story of the loaves and fishes.”
‘If wishes were fishes’
The final common saying begins with “If wishes were fishes,” which works because of the rhyme. Today you can find multiple endings, but it seems that Frank Herbert, author the book “Dune,” was probably the first person to write it down, and he phrased it “If wishes were fishes, we’d all cast nets.”
The origin of ‘fish’ as a noun and verb
It’s a very old word, going back to Old English, and it was a noun before it was a verb. In other words, we talked about fish before we used the word “fish” to describe catching them. Verbing nouns goes way back; it’s a common way to get new words in English.
‘A lot of other fish in the sea’
If all this fish talk is making you think about the time you told a friend who had just been dumped that she should cheer up and move on because “there are a lot of other fish in the sea,” it looks like that use of fish — refer to a desirous person you want to catch as a fish — was first used in 1723 by Daniel Defoe, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
It was a little later that people started to refer to others as “fish” in a less than desirous way. For example, in 1790, Benjamin Franklin, in his autobiography, referred to another man as an “odd fish.”
‘Fish’ compounds
Finally, there are so many “fish” compounds in the Oxford English Dictionary “fish” entry that I stopped counting at 100. You really get a sense of how important fishing is or has been to daily life for English speaking people: “Fish-blooded,” “fish-farming,” “fish stick,” “fish-way,” it goes on and on.
To sum up, your Quick and Dirty Tip is that the plural of “fish” is “fish,” unless you’re writing about a group of different species of fish, are a mobster, are talking about a Bible story, or are trying to make a rhyme.
Image courtesy of opens in a new windowShutterstock.
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#1
Hi, guys! I have learnt that fish is singular and plural. Ex: «I ate 2 fish for lunch today.» But I can possibly use fishes if I am talking about different spieces of fish. Ex: «The list of endangered species includes nearly 600 fishes.» Have I learnt correctly? Thank you all.
Eddie.
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#2
You can speak of various types of fish or fishes.
According to the New Testament (King James version), Jesus fed the five thousand on five loaves and two fishes.
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#3
But wouldn’t it be old English? Currently, would you use fishes as plural of fish?
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#5
But wouldn’t it be old English? Currently, would you use fishes as plural of fish?
I always use fish as the plural, except when referring to that story, but it is not incorrect to use fishes, as far as I am aware.
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#6
But wouldn’t it be old English? Currently, would you use fishes as plural of fish?
Except when quoting the Bible, «fishes» has a child-like sound to it, in my opinion. It is a «cute» word. Both «fish» and «fishes» are listed as possible plurals in dictionaries, though. I would go with «fish», personally, unless I was talking to a child.
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#7
Fishes sounds like sheeps.
The meaning is clear but there is something not quite right about it.
.,,
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#8
1- Fish have different colors.
2- Fish has different colors.
or we can say:
3- Fishes have different colors.
I go with number2 and number3.
I am talking about Fishes in general not one fish.
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#9
They have talked about that in an earlier thread. Maybe it can help you.
http://forum.wordreference.com/thre…he-government-company-team-fish-have-has.272/
Yes — I have noticed this. Brits will say Shell Oil are thinking of investing…. where as Americans would say Shell Oil is thinking of investing….
Even in a prior example given, Americans would tend to say «The class is debating the (whatever they are debating). They don’t tend to bother to worry about whethe «the class» is a unit or a group of units.
The only time Americans as a general group would use the plural is if the word is something like «fish» which can mean one fish or more than one fish.
The fish is swimming means one fish is swimming, the fish are swimming means more than one fish is swimming.
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#10
We can never say «fish has» unless we specify that we are talking about one particular fish (the fish has, that fish has, etc.). The plural of «fish» can be «fish» (common) or «fishes» (mostly in scientific contexts, when referring to multiple species).
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#11
Thanks as I understand I can use both:
1-Fish has different colors. (one fish)
2- Fish have different colors.(more than one fish)
Am I right?
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#12
Thanks as I understand I can use both:
1-Fish has different colors. (one fish)
[…]Am I right?
No. See my previous comment.
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#13
1- Fish have different colors. Count noun, plural. There are thousands of individual creatures of this kind; each one is «a fish»; different ones have different colors.
2- Fish has different colors. Mass noun, singular. I may serve you a few ounces of fish for dinner; it may be part of one fish, or pieces from several fish, mixed together; within that stuff called «fish», you may find different colors.
3- Fishes have different colors. Count noun, plural. As The Newt said, these are species of fish. Codfish are one color, haddock another color,…
(Edited to remove some odd formatting — JustKate, English Only moderator)
Last edited by a moderator: Aug 26, 2015
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#15
I have merged twins1’s thread with one of the many previous threads on the topic of a fish/several fish/several fishes.
JustKate
English Only moderator
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#16
We can never say «fish has» unless we specify that we are talking about one particular fish (the fish has, that fish has, etc.). The plural of «fish» can be «fish» (common) or «fishes» (mostly in scientific contexts, when referring to multiple species).
How about the following? It was written by a non-native English teacher:
Fishermen catch fishes. They don’t hunt.
When I asked her why she chose to use «fishes», she stressed that she was right, giving the reason that she was talking about different species of fish.
As a native speaker, do you buy her explanation?
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#17
No. Fishermen catch fish.
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#18
No. Fishermen catch fish.
Thanks so much.
This confirmed my understanding too, but what if I want to emphasize that a particular fisherman catches all species of fish? Can I then use «fishes»?
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#19
No, it would sound very off. Say that he catches several/many/all species of fish.
You can ignore, indeed forget, ‘fishes’ altogether. It’s 99.99% certain that you will never have to use it.
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#20
Hi, guys! I have learnt that fish is singular and plural. Ex: «I ate 2 fish for lunch today.» But I can possibly use fishes if I am talking about different spieces of fish. Ex: «The list of endangered species includes nearly 600 fishes.» Have I learnt correctly? Thank you all.
Eddie.
Can we really say «I ate 2 fish» (i.e. a number before the word «fish»)? I thought «fish» as food is uncountable?
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#21
Can we really say «I ate 2 fish»
Yes, of course. ‘Fish’ is the plural of ‘fish.’
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#22
1 is wrong.
Thanks as I understand I can use both:
1-Fish has different colors. (one fish)
2- Fish have different colors.(more than one fish)Am I right?
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#23
No, it would sound very off. Say that he catches several/many/all species of fish.
You can ignore, indeed forget, ‘fishes’ altogether. It’s 99.99% certain that you will never have to use it.
Hello, everyone.
I found an interesting picture, which is about the irregular plurals. Please focus on the bottom right corner.
I really wonder if you use fishes or not to describe different kinds of fish. Let’s say, when I visit an aquarium, and I look at the big glass tank full of different kinds of fish inside, can I say «There are many fishes»? If no, how would you say it? «There are many species of fish»?
Thank you.
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#24
«There are many species of fish.»
(Unless I was being poetic or archaic.)
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#25
When in doubt, use ‘fish’ — it will always be right.
The worst that could happen is that somebody somewhere might say ‘Mmm – I’d have said fishes in that context’
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#26
We use «fishes» to mean several individual animals, irrespective of whether they are of the same kind. In that respect the picture is misleading.
Think of the difference between fish and fishes as similar to that between people and persons.
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#27
We use «fishes» to mean several individual animals, irrespective of whether they are of the same kind.
If you have four goldfish and two guppies in an aquarium, some people will say you have six fish but only two fishes.
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#28
It depends on the context. Fishes is used in some contexts to refer to different species of fish. In everyday conversation, it is unlikely. We’d generally use a phrase like «kind(s) of fish».
— There are twelve kinds of fish for sale at this grocery store.
More scientific-sounding:
— There are six species of fish in this lake.
But in very academic contexts, for instance, you might see fishes used.
— This book provides a comprehensive and current source of information on fishes—including systematics, zoogeography, behavior, and conservation of fishes—that is often needed by professionals as background for writing accurate reports.
— Destined to become the standard guide for housing and breeding American fishes, American Aquarium Fishes will be equally useful to both aquarists and biologists.
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#29
Thank you for your explanations.