On 28/09/2006, at 12:33 AM, Yukihiro Matsumoto wrote:

> In message "Re: String starts? and ends? methods"
>     on Wed, 27 Sep 2006 23:05:44 +0900, Jonas Hartmann <Mail@Jonas- 
> Hartmann.com> writes:
>
> |but what about puralization?
>
> As a convention, Ruby method names use plain verb with singular form,
> with several exceptions, e.g. is_a? etc.  So we use start_with? not
> starts_with?

"Starts" is not the plural form of "start", it's just a conjugation.

I start/you start/he, she, it starts/we start/you start/they start

You would never say in English "a start with b", you say "a starts  
with b", even when both a and b are singular. I would argue that it  
should be the same in Ruby, and the method name should be "starts_with?"

Pete Yandell