A GUIDE

TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR

A GUIDE
TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Explanations, examples and exercises
for first year students

The plural
The nouns which have a plural form are called countable nouns. Most nouns are
countable.
The regular plural form of a noun adds s (or es) to the singular.
Ex.: week weeks; cup cups; plan plans; law laws; uncle uncles; toy toys
Most nouns add s, but if the noun already ends in s or z, -x, -ch, -sh, it adds es.
Ex.: bus buses; buzz buzzes; box boxes; peach peaches; bush bushes
The formation of the plural can be describes as follows:
regular spelling
-s after most nouns:

singular
cat

plural
cats

tub

tubs

potato

potatoes

-s

class

classes

-x

box

boxes

-ch

watch

watches

-sh

bush

bushes

country
day

countries
days

-ey:

key

keys

-oy:

boy

boys

-uy:

guy

guys

-es after nouns ending in o:

consonant + -y becomes ies:

Note that vowel + -y adds s: -ay:

proper nouns ending in y add s in the

Fry

Frys

plural:

Kennedy

Kennedys

irregular spelling
Some endings in f/-fe take ves:
Internal vowel change:

singular
wife
man

plural
wives
men

Nouns with plurals in en:

No change:
Foreign plurals:

ox
sheep
analysis

oxen
sheep
analyses

1. Collective noun + singular or plural verb

1a. Collective nouns which have plural forms
Some collective nouns such as audience, class, club, committee, company,
congregation, council, crew, crowd, family, gang, government, group, jury, mob, staff, team
and union can be used with singular or plural verbs. They are singular and can combine with the
relative pronouns which/that and be replaced by it when we think of them in an impersonal
fashion, i.e. as a whole group:
The present government, which hasnt been in power long, is trying to control inflation.
It isnt having much success.
They are plural and can combine with who and be replaced by they or them when we
think of them in a more personal way, i.e. as the individuals that make up the group:
The government, who are looking for a quick victory, are calling for a general election
soon. They expect to be re-elected. A lot of people are giving them their support.
These collective nouns can also have regular plural forms:
Governments in all countries are trying to control inflation.
1b. Collective nouns which do not have plural forms
The following collective nouns have no regular plural but can be followed by a singular
or plural verb: the aristocracy, the gentry, the proletariat, the majority, the minority, the public,
the youth of today:
Give the public what it wants/they want.
Offspring has no plural form but can be followed by a singular verb to refer to one or a
plural verb to refer to more than one:
Her offspring is like her in every respect. (one child)
Her offspring are like her in every respect. (more than one child)

The youth of today (=all young people) should not be confused with a/the youth (=a/the
young man), which has a regular plural youths:
The youth of today is/are better off than we used to be.
The witness said he saw a youth/five youths outside the shop.
Youth (=a time of life) is used with singular verbs:
Youth is the time for action; age is the time for repose.

2. Collective noun + plural verb

The following collective nouns must be followed by a plural verb; they do not have plural
forms: cattle, the clergy, the military, people, the police, swine, vermin:
Some people are never satisfied.
The police/the military have surrounded the building.
People should not be confused with a/the people, meaning nation or tribe, which is
countable:
The British are a sea-faring people.
The English-speaking peoples share a common language.
3. Nouns with a plural form + singular verb
The following nouns, though plural in form, are always followed by a verb in the
singular:
-

the noun news, as in: The news on TV is always depressing.

games, such as billiards, bowls, darts, dominoes: Billiards is becoming more

and more popular.

names of cities such as Athens, Brussels, Naples: Athens has grown rapidly
in the past decade.

4. Nouns with a plural form + singular or plural verb

The following nouns ending in ics take a singular verb: athletics, gymnastics,
linguistics, mathematics and physics:
Mathematics is a compulsory subject in school.
However, some words ending in ics, such as acoustics, economics, ethics, phonetics and
statistics take a singular or plural verb. When the reference is to an academic subject (e.g.
acoustics = the scientific study of sound) then the verb must be singular:
Acoustics is a branch of physics.
When the reference is specific, (e.g. acoustics = sound quality) then the verb must be
plural:
The acoustics in the Festival Hall are extremely good.
Plural-form nouns describing illnesses have a singular verb:
German measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.
However, a plural verb is sometimes possible:
Mumps are (or is) fairly rare in adults.
Some plural-form nouns can be regarded as a single unit (+verb in the singular) or
collective (+verb in the plural). Examples are: barracks, bellows, crossroads, gallows,
gasworks, headquarters, kennels, series, species and works (=factory).
-single unit: This species of rose is very rare.
-more than one: There are thousands of species of butterflies.
The word means (=a way to an end) is followed by a singular or plural verb, depending
on the word used before it:
All means have been used to get him to change his mind.
One means is still to be tried.
5. Nouns with a plural form + plural verb
Nouns with a plural form only (+plural verb) are:
-nouns which can combine with a pair of:
My trousers are torn.
Used with a pair of, these words must have a singular verb:
A pair of glasses costs quite a lot these days.

We cannot normally use numbers in front of these words, but we can say two, etc. pairs
of:
Two pairs of your trousers are still at the cleaners.
Some of these nouns can have a singular form when used in compounds: e.g. pyjama top,
trouser leg:
Where did I put my pyjama top?
-a few words which occur only in the plural and are followed by a plural verb. Some of
these are: antipodes, belongings, brains (=intellect), clothes, congratulations, earnings, goods,
greens (=green vegetables), lodgings, looks (=good looks), means (=money or material
possessions), oats, odds (in betting), outskirts, particulars, quarters (=accommodation),
remains, riches, stairs.
All my belongings are in this bag.
6. Nouns with different singular and plural meanings
Some nouns have different meanings in the singular and plural. Typical examples:
air/airs, ash/ashes, content/contents, custom/customs, damage/damages, drawer/drawers,
fund/funds,

glass/glasses,

look/looks,

manner/manners,

minute/minutes,

pain/pains,

scale/scales, saving/savings, spectacle/spectacles, step/steps, work/works. Sometimes the

meanings are far apart (air/airs), sometimes they are quite close (fund/funds).
One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.
You can only reach that cupboard with a pair of steps.
Of course, the countable nouns in the above list have their own plurals: dirty looks, five
minutes, sharp pains, two steps, etc.