thickness or thicknesses

Nightd

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Need help with a sentence I can't put my finger to.

Jordon threw five coins of different thicknesses into the well.
Jordon threw five coins of different thickness into the well.


thanks.
 

Guardian

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I thought thicknesses didn't exist, but I seem to be wrong. Since it's plural, I'd go with thicknesses.
 

Fallen

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Can I just ask, why thickness? Why not 'value'? or 'a handful of change', or 'a handfull of coins'?
 

Susan Coffin

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Need help with a sentence I can't put my finger to.

Jordon threw five coins of different thicknesses into the well.
Jordon threw five coins of different thickness into the well.


thanks.

Why not make it simple?

Jordan threw an assortment of coins into the well.
Jordan threw five assorted coins into the well.
Jordan threw five coins into the well.
Jordan threw a handful of coins into the well.
Jordan threw himself into the well. (just kidding. :D)
 
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Maryn

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Assuming the thickness has relevance and therefore should be mentioned: Each coin has a thickness. Together they have thicknesses. Yes, it's a little ungainly, but Jordon threw five coins of different thicknesses into the well. is correct.

Compare it to a different trait. What if the five coins were made of copper, silver, gold, tin, and steel? Jordon would throw five coins of different metals (note the plural) into the well, right?

Maryn, sure
 

Chase

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Obviously a requirement of the particular wishing well is different thickness, regardless of value or metallurgy. Who knows the how persnickety those water jinns may be?

I rubbed my dictionary, and it signed to me: thicknesses: (noun) plural of thickness [three thicknesses of cloth].
 

Nightd

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thank-you all

and thank-you Maryn.

yes, thicknesses of the coins have relevance in my story. They're not the standard coins in the real world, or else I would have written the sentence completely different.

and lol @ Susan for the "Jordan threw himself into the well."

@Chase: Those water jinns are very persnickety!
 
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Fallen

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Ohhh... Still seems wordy, though.


Fall, who never assumes anything when she's on the razzle... :e2drunk:
 
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JayMan

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While thicknesses is grammatically correct, it strikes my ears as a bit awkward. I'd rewrite it by doing something like this:

"Jordon threw five coins, each with a different thickness, into the well."

or

"Jordon threw five coins of varying thickness into the well."

edit: I also like Susan's suggestions, now that I went back and read them.
 
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Bufty

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Or, if the reader (and Jordon) knows a varying thickness of coins is important, the event could perhaps be rephrased.

Jordon picked five coins, leaned over the well and dropped them in, thinnest first.
 
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AudreyInDC

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Need help with a sentence I can't put my finger to.

Jordon threw five coins of different thicknesses into the well.
Jordon threw five coins of different thickness into the well.


thanks.

To second or third what previous folks have said, thicknesses