SINGULAR and PLURAL NOUN

A singular noun refers to just one person, animal, thing or place while a plural noun represents more than one person, animal, thing or place. Nouns are either singular or plural. Most plural nouns have an -s added to their endings. Other plural nouns do not follow this same ending.

Some of the common plural endings are:

Singular	Plural	How the plural is formed
daughter	daughters	By adding –s
class	classes	By adding –es to nouns ending –s
brush	brushes	By adding –es to nouns ending –sh
watch	watches	By adding –es to nouns ending –ch
box	boxes	By adding –es to nouns ending –x
potato	potatoes	By adding –es to nouns ending –o
piano	pianos	By adding –s to nouns ending –o
baby	babies	By changing –y to – ies
key	keys	By adding –s to some nouns ending –y
leaf	leaves	By changing –f to – ves
knife	knives	By changing –fe to – ves
roof	roofs	By adding –s to some nouns ending –f
safe	safes	By adding –s to some nouns ending –fe
tooth	teeth	By changing vowels
ox	oxen	By adding –en
child	children	By adding –ren
deer	deer	Some nouns have same singular and plural

There are nouns that are always plural and take a plural verb:

Jeans, knickers, pants, pyjamas, shorts, tights, trousers, and underpants

Pincers, pliers, scissors, shears, tongs

Clogs, sandals, slippers, and sneakers

Glasses (spectacles), binoculars

Examples:

·         These trousers are not mine.

·         Pliers are a handy tool.

·         My garden shears trim the hedge very well.

·         My glasses are used only for reading.

"A pair of" can be used with the above plural nouns and take a singular verb.

·         This pair of purple trousers does not match your yellow jacket.

·         These knives do not cut well. A new pair of stainless steel scissors iswhat I need.

Other nouns that are always plural:

·         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.

·         Police: Police are charging him with the murder of the princess.

·         People: People in general are not very approachable. (Peoples when used in the plural (i.e. with '–s') refers to peoples from more than one race or nation, e.g. the peoples of Asia)

·         Football team: Liverpool are a very successful football team. (ButLiverpool is a great city.)

Nouns which are plural in form but take a singular verb

The following plural nouns are used with a singular verb as they are treated as singular:

Athletics, economics, gymnastics, linguistics, mathematics, mechanics, news, numismatics, measles, mumps, physics, politics and pyrotechnics

·         Economics: Economics was my favorite subject at school.

·         News – The good news is that we have all been invited.

·         Diseases such as mumps, measles, etc: An infectious illness, mumps was common among children.

Measurements and amounts that are considered as a single unit:

·         One hundred years is a century.

·         Twenty kilometers is a long distance.

·         Twenty Five dollars is not enough to buy a good shirt.

·         Seven days in prison is all he got for shoplifting.