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grammatical number - Using "skies" instead of "sky"


Why do people use "skies" instead of "sky" (when, indeed, we only have one sky)?



Reach for the sky/skies!



and



I'm glad to finally see some blue skies.


I'm glad to finally see a blue sky.




Answer



Skies is a poetic/literary word used to mean heaven or heavenly power. The first example sentence could mean reach for heaven.


In some set phrases, the used word is skies, as in He wrote to his sister praising Lizzie to the skies. In this case, to the skies means very highly or enthusiastically.


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