Singular and Plural Nouns

A noun that represents one person, animal, thing or place is called a singular noun. A noun that represents more than one person, animal, thing or place is called a plural noun.   EXAMPLE: girl – girls; goat – goats; glass – glasses; garden – gardens Singular and Plural Nouns Most nouns are either singular or plural. Plural nouns are easily recognised by their ending with an '-s'. But many plural nouns do not follow this same ending. The lists below show what different endings or suffixes are added to the words to make them plural nouns. The following nouns are always plural and take a plural verb. Police, people+ – Police are charging him with the murder of the princess.   People in general are not very approachable. Football team – Liverpool are a very successful football team. (BUT: Liverpool is a great city.) Jeans*, knickers*, panties*, pants*, pyjamas*, shorts*, tights*, trousers*, and underpants* – These trousers are not mine Clogs*, sandals*, slippers*, and sneakers*. Glasses* (= spectacles), binoculars* – My glasses are used only for reading. Pincers*, pliers*, scissors*, shears*, tongs* – Pliers are a handy tool. My garden shears trim the hedge very well. Clothes – My clothes need to be washed but I don't have the time. Earnings – Earnings in the agricultural sector have increased by 5% in the fourth quarter. Cattle –  Cattle are reared for their meat or milk. * "a pair of" can be used with these plural nouns. + Peoples when used in the plural (i.e. with '–s') refers to peoples from more than one race or nation.   EXAMPLE: the peoples of Asia. Nouns which are plural in form but take a singular verb The following plural nouns are used with singular verbs as they are treated as singular: Athletics, economics, gymnastics, linguistics, mathematics, mechanics, numismatics, physics, politics and pyrotechnics – Economics was my favourite subject at school. News – The good news is that we've all been invited. Mumps, measles – An infectious illness, mumps was common among children. Measurements and amounts that are considered as a single unit: One hundred years is a century. Ten kilometres is a long distance. Twenty dollars is not enough to buy a good shirt. Seven days in prison is all he got for shoplifting. A noun can be used as singular or plural The following collective nouns can be singular or plural. It depends on how they are regarded. Viewed as a single unit, it takes a singular verb; viewed as a group of separate members or parts, it is treated as a plural noun and used with a plural verb. Our team competes in a local tournament. Our team have just won the quarterfinal. My family is a large one. My family are always arguing about how to share the bills. The new government has gained more support since taking office. The Government are determined to keep inflation in check. The explorers stumble across a species of plant unknown to science. The coastal waters of the island are rich in different fish species. Data indicates that most of the offenders come from broken home. We will not draw any conclusion until we have looked at all the data. Statistics is included in this year's Mathematics syllabus. The statistics tell us the current trend is towards more consumers' spending. The full orchestra includes a fair number of female instrumentalists. The orchestra do not agree to the venue for their next performance. The enemy is calling for a ceasefire. Security is very tight as the enemy are everywhere. Two subjects expressed as a single unit and take a singular verb. Time and tide waits for no man. Bread and jam is what he eats most in the morning.