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It’s not “THE hoi polloi,” Bret. Please note that.

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The Dictionary begs to differ. "the masses; the common people." Example: "avoid mixing with the hoi polloi" It's considered a noun.

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Technically that's true, and "the polloi" would be more accurate. But once the term is absorbed into the English language, there's a case to be made for adjusting the grammar in a way that sounds natural in that context.

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“Hoi” is “the.” There’s no need to change it to English. It’s just sloppy, like “less” instead of “fewer.” Bret is supposed to be a writer.

I’d have let it go in someone I can stand.

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Bret is correct - please see a dictionary. In writing for people who read English, "hoi polloi" is a noun.

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Bret is only correct if it’s what the style book says. I prefer the OED, and per that he’s wrong.

Reading English isn’t an excuse to say things incorrectly. In OH we have LY-mah and CARE-oh. Drives me insane.

In MO we had ver-SALES.

People need to be better educated, not chew up the language. I can’t write “they/them” without my eye twitching. I do it but I hate it.

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