Why when something is less than singular, we use plural?

 
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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
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β€”β€”Carmen
Seriously.

I have two units. Makes sense.
I have one unit. Makes sense.
I have 1.5 units. Makes sense.
I have 0.4 units. What? Why wouldn't that be "0.4 unit", logically?

This is a groundbreaking question guys

EDIT: changed the example in the OP because this forum is fucking incapable of grasping the simplest concept.
Last Edit: January 25, 2015, 04:11:58 PM by SecondClass

 
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ayy lmao
"Half an apple"

 
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This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.
Or you could just say "I have half an apple".

 
 
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"Ornate chandeliers suspended from a vaulted ceiling lit the spacious chamber; Jack tilted his gaze overhead and noticed how far away they were.  His thoughts wove around those bright lights, like a dance of ether masses spiraling in precious unison. Why must we try to clutch desperately for the mere threads of this world when we can clasp onto a tapestry of untold magnificence beyond this plane of existence?"
except no one ever says 0.5 apples
Last Edit: January 25, 2015, 03:47:15 PM by Noodles

 
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ayy lmao

 
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This is pathetic, Cheat
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Only an autist would say "I have 0.5 apples"

 
 
𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅π‘ͺ𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 | π‘ͺπ’‚π’“π’Žπ’†π’
 
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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
β€”Judge Aaron Satie
β€”β€”Carmen
Quote from: Noodles on January 25, 2015, 03:46:23 PM
except no one ever says 0.5 apples
It's this new thing called an example. It doesn't just have to be apples, I'm talking general mathematics.

 
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but "one apple" is tautological

shud we jus sei "i has appl????"

 
 
𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅π‘ͺ𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 | π‘ͺπ’‚π’“π’Žπ’†π’
 
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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
β€”Judge Aaron Satie
β€”β€”Carmen
Seriously, is this forum fucking dense? Every time I ask a question like this, you nitpick some inconsequential detail.

 
 
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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
β€”Judge Aaron Satie
β€”β€”Carmen
Quote from: TheOneTrueDesticle on January 25, 2015, 04:02:33 PM
Only an autist would say "I have 0.5 apples"
There's this thing called a brain. Use it. This thread obviously isn't about apples.

 
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Quote from: SecondClass on January 25, 2015, 04:12:52 PM
Quote from: TheOneTrueDesticle on January 25, 2015, 04:02:33 PM
Only an autist would say "I have 0.5 apples"
There's this thing called a brain. Use it. This thread obviously isn't about apples.
I just assumed you were trolling anyway.

Languages develop over time. Most natural non-invented languages don't really make a lot of sense.

 
 
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I DONT GIVE A SINGLE -blam!- MOTHER -blam!-ER ITS A MOTHER -blam!-ING FORUM, OH WOW, YOU HAVE THE WORD NINJA BELOW YOUR NAME, HOW MOTHER -blam!-ING COOL, NOT, YOUR ARE NOTHING TO ME BUT A BRAINWASHED PIECE OF SHIT BLOGGER, PEOPLE ONLY LIKE YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE NINJA BELOW YOUR NAME, SO PLEASE PUNCH YOURAELF IN THE FACE AND STAB YOUR EYE BECAUSE YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A PIECE OF SHIT OF SOCIETY
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I DONT GIVE A SINGLE -blam!- MOTHER -blam!-ER ITS A MOTHER -blam!-ING FORUM, OH WOW, YOU HAVE THE WORD NINJA BELOW YOUR NAME, HOW MOTHER -blam!-ING COOL, NOT, YOUR ARE NOTHING TO ME BUT A BRAINWASHED PIECE OF SHIT BLOGGER, PEOPLE ONLY LIKE YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE NINJA BELOW YOUR NAME, SO PLEASE PUNCH YOURAELF IN THE FACE AND STAB YOUR EYE BECAUSE YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A PIECE OF SHIT OF SOCIETY
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They say you are what you eat, but I don't remember eating mYsELF
"Two fifths of a unit"

 
 
𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅π‘ͺ𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 | π‘ͺπ’‚π’“π’Žπ’†π’
 
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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
β€”Judge Aaron Satie
β€”β€”Carmen
Quote from: Zizzy on January 25, 2015, 04:17:40 PM
"Two fifths of a unit"
Oh my god, do I really have to change the example to something like ".047384826 units" for this forum to get what I'm saying?

 
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They say you are what you eat, but I don't remember eating mYsELF
Quote from: SecondClass on January 25, 2015, 04:19:17 PM
Quote from: Zizzy on January 25, 2015, 04:17:40 PM
"Two fifths of a unit"
Oh my god, do I really have to change the example to something like ".047384826 units" for this forum to get what I'm saying?
It just sounds better.

 
 
𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅π‘ͺ𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 | π‘ͺπ’‚π’“π’Žπ’†π’
 
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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
β€”Judge Aaron Satie
β€”β€”Carmen
Quote from: Zizzy on January 25, 2015, 04:50:14 PM
Quote from: SecondClass on January 25, 2015, 04:19:17 PM
Quote from: Zizzy on January 25, 2015, 04:17:40 PM
"Two fifths of a unit"
Oh my god, do I really have to change the example to something like ".047384826 units" for this forum to get what I'm saying?
It just sounds better.
I know, but it's more of a mathematical question than a grammatical one.

 
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They say you are what you eat, but I don't remember eating mYsELF
Quote from: SecondClass on January 25, 2015, 04:53:38 PM
Quote from: Zizzy on January 25, 2015, 04:50:14 PM
Quote from: SecondClass on January 25, 2015, 04:19:17 PM
Quote from: Zizzy on January 25, 2015, 04:17:40 PM
"Two fifths of a unit"
Oh my god, do I really have to change the example to something like ".047384826 units" for this forum to get what I'm saying?
It just sounds better.
I know, but it's more of a mathematical question than a grammatical one.
I don't know. I guess the singular "unit" refers to one, so saying "0.4 unit" would imply that there is one when there isn't. The plural form seems to indicate that there isn't one, not that there's more than one. We say "0 units" too.