Talk:Back Bay Fens

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[edit] The Fens are?

The Fens in Boston is a park. As such, the name should be singular. The Fens in Britain are a series of wetlands, and are thus plural. The first sentence of the article "the Fens... are [a parkland], is correct when it calls the area a parkland - singular. So why is it treated a plural? I'll leave this up for a while, come back, and change it if no one puts up a good objection. MarkinBoston 02:45, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

What do the locals say? We are here to report, not to dictate on the basis of what, theoretically, should be. Local usage should control. I see you are "inBoston". Can you ascertain prevailing usage? If not, my advice is: if in doubt, leave it alone. Personally, I find it hard to believe anyone would say, out loud, "the Fens is...", just as one would not say "whose woods this is"; it offends the ear. Hertz1888 03:18, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

A puzzling answer. And yes, I am a local.

From the Emerald Necklace Conservancy site linked in the article:

"The Fens, like all landscapes, has changed over time."

The Fens is a place - singular - not a collection of this fen and that fen. Very simple, and easy to believe.MarkinBoston 22:18, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Pronunciation?

Can somebody please clarify the proper pronunciation? Is it like 'fence' or 'fenz'? —Preceding unsigned comment added by BillMcGonigle (talk • contribs) 18:05, 28 November 2007 (UTC)