The cones used to signal work to motorists are also beacons for reviewers. This is because they often signal the presence of a fault in agreement. We write well orange cones, not “oranges”. Orange is here a noun used as an adjective of color and it therefore remains invariable. We write the same turquoise seas – this is another classic of wrongdoing.
In case of doubt – it is always prudent to doubt – one can consult a dictionary. The difficulty will generally be indicated there.
Compound color adjectives (i.e. those followed by a noun or another adjective) also remain invariable and do not take a hyphen. We sometimes wonder if we should write navy blue Where Navy blue. It’s rather Navy blue, because the name designates a “dark blue similar to the blue of navy uniforms”. Navy socks Where navy socks. Wear navy.
If we associate two simple color names, we connect them with a hyphen (because it is a mixture, which constitutes a new color), and the word thus formed becomes invariable. Blue-purple flowers. Blue-green eyes.
When it came to the two-tone hairstyle of the character of Cruella played by Emma Stone in the film of the same name, it was written that her hair was black and white, and not black and white. Invariability was seen as a fault, but it was not. For example, we can write blue and black fabrics Where blue and black fabrics. The agreement is made – or not – according to the meaning of the sentence. Fabrics blue and noir contain both blue and black. If we have trouble understanding this rule and remembering it, we only have to think of pictures. We say naturally black and white photos, not “black and white”. You can also rephrase your sentence. I bought blue fabric and black fabric.
Emergency or emergencies?
Why are we talking more and more about emergencies? In Quebec, we have always gone to the emergency room. Have we been wrong all these years?
Responnse
It is true thatemergency in the singular is commonly used in Quebec. But some see it as Anglicism. It is that in English, the name emergency is singular in emergency room, a term that the Grand Robert & Collins translated by emergency, while emergency ward is translated by emergency room.
AT Press, we chose to use the plural, which can be found in reference books such as dictionaries Robert Where Larousse. The emergency department of a hospital. Wait in the emergency room.