by R. S. Karunaratne

Problems with singular and plural nouns

We use plural nouns for items that have two parts.

Sarath's trousers are too baggy. (pair of trousers)

This is a rare species of snake

Martha's jeans are too tight. (pair of jeans)

Roy's shorts are too big. (pair of shorts)

Where are my pants? (pair of pants)

Rohan is wearing striped pyjamas. (pair of pyjamas)

Did you see uncle Sam's new glasses? (pair of glasses)

The queen watched the horse-race through binoculars. (a pair of binoculars)

I need some scissors. (a pair of scissors)

Some nouns ending in 'ics' are usually singular.

We are having an athletics meeting today.

Laura is taking part in a gymnastics competition.

Mathematics is his strongest subject.

Physics is an interesting subject.

Electronics is a fascinating subject.

Economics deals with production and distribution of goods and services.

Politics is in his blood!

Some words ending in 's' can be singular or plural.

Television is an effective means of communication. (singular)

Siva obtained his passport by illegal means. (plural)

Rupavahini is going to air a new television series. (singular)

People are fed up with some television series. (plural)

This is a rare species of snake. (singular)

Both species occur in this part of the country. (plural)

Some singular nouns are often followed by plural verbs. Sometimes, singular verbs are also used.

The Government has reduced the fuel prices.

The Government have reduced the fuel prices.

Note: Here 'the Government' is a group of people governing a country or state. It can take either a singular or a plural verb.

The hotel staff is going to strike tomorrow.

(staff: all the workers considered as a group)

The staff at the school are not happy with their salaries.

My family enjoy watching television (all the members of my family)

The team are confident of winning the match.

The audience were enthusiastic on the opening night of the opera.

The committee have decided to reinstate the interdicted worker.

A plural verb is often used after the name of a sports team or a company.

Sri Lanka are playing India next month in a cricket match.

The police have arrested a noted criminal.

Shell have decided to reduce the price of gas.

Always use a plural verb with 'police'.

The police have arrested a noted criminal.

The police are not well-paid.

Although 'persons' is the plural form of 'person' we normally use 'people' instead.

Smith is a nice person.

The Smiths are nice people.

A sum of money, a period of time, or a distance are followed by a singular verb.

Fifty thousand rupees is a big sum of money.

Five years is a long period to be away from home.

Ten kilometers is a long distance to walk.