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    1.0 books (?) Commented May 22, 2024 at 13:30
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    @ryang: I don't think you're doing yourself any favours by trying to force a distinction based on whether the reference is to a "quantity" or a "quality, state, deficit,...". It's zero degrees, minus one degree and minus 0.9 degrees - the presence or absence of minus doesn't affect the basic rule, which has been repeated many times on this page. Commented May 22, 2024 at 15:18
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    @ryang in my dialect (?), I would say "-1 books" in isolation or a ledger. However, I would say "10 books minus 1 book", so it depends on context. MartinBa I would agree with that. Commented May 22, 2024 at 17:41
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    Fractional quantities less than one seem to depend on how they're phased. "I read 0.5 ("zero point five") books today, and 1.25 ("one point two five") books yesterday", but "I read half a book and one and a quarter books yesterday." (Both of those sentences feel a little unnatural anyhow.) I think that if the decimal is pronounced, even 1 becomes plural "1.00 books ("one point zero zero books")", but this also feels a bit contrived, too. Commented May 23, 2024 at 12:00
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    @Criggie "a" = 1 -> singular. It's "half (of) one book" Commented May 23, 2024 at 19:46