Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2019 August 19
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August 19[edit]
Remainder vs. Remainer[edit]
I was reading the lead of the article Fortnite: Save the World and it says "the sudden appearance of a worldwide storm causes 98% of the world's population to disappear, and zombie-like creatures rise to attack the remainder. As English is not my native language, I was wondering if that is a typographical mistake or it is a valid word to use. © Tbhotch™ (en-2.5). 23:42, 19 August 2019 (UTC)
- "Remainder" is correct.[1] There is no such word as "remainer". Although it might have been better if the author had said, "...the remaining population," ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 23:55, 19 August 2019 (UTC)
- Well, there is such a word as "remainer" now: it's a name used for the opponents of Brexit. But as Bugs said, "remainder" is the right word in the question we were asked, and "remainer" would be wrong there. --76.69.116.4 (talk) 00:08, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- It makes sense that "remainer" would be a word coined for opponents of Brexit, as "remainder" wouldn't quite work in that case, or perhaps would be seen as condescending. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:00, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- Ok thanks. I might have seen "remainer" in these Brexit-related articles and keep it in my mind. © Tbhotch™ (en-2.5). 01:46, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- Presumably the opposite of "leaver", if that's a thing. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:45, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- Ok thanks. I might have seen "remainer" in these Brexit-related articles and keep it in my mind. © Tbhotch™ (en-2.5). 01:46, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- It makes sense that "remainer" would be a word coined for opponents of Brexit, as "remainder" wouldn't quite work in that case, or perhaps would be seen as condescending. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:00, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- Well, there is such a word as "remainer" now: it's a name used for the opponents of Brexit. But as Bugs said, "remainder" is the right word in the question we were asked, and "remainer" would be wrong there. --76.69.116.4 (talk) 00:08, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- Do the Remainers need reminders that the remainders are Leaver lever lovers who used the polls at the bequest of the pols who convinced them to leave the Poles, among others ? SinisterLefty (talk) 04:26, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- For those that don't live here, voting is simply a matter of marking an "X" in the appropriate place on the ballot paper and then folding it up and posting it through the slit on top of the ballot box. 2A00:23C5:3186:E600:3D9B:C5C7:2662:1431 (talk) 14:20, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- Don't live where? Planet Earth? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 15:17, 20 August 2019 (UTC)
- For those that don't live here, voting is simply a matter of marking an "X" in the appropriate place on the ballot paper and then folding it up and posting it through the slit on top of the ballot box. 2A00:23C5:3186:E600:3D9B:C5C7:2662:1431 (talk) 14:20, 20 August 2019 (UTC)