Agreement: Singular Subjects with Plural Forms and Plural Subjects with Singular Forms

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Agreement Singular Subjects with Plural Forms
and Plural Subjects with Singular Forms

• Mini-Lesson 14
• FROM THE UWF WRITING LAB
• 101 GRAMMAR MINI-LESSONS SERIES

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Important Information!

• Some nounsespecially those ending in -s
  although plural in form, are singular in number
  and in meaning news, measles, mumps, calculus,
  rickets, billiards, molasses, dizziness, and
  other ness ending nouns. These nouns require
  singular verb forms.
• EXAMPLE No news is good news.

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A Bit More Info

• Certain words ending in -ics are singular when
  they refer to principles, a system, or a field of
  study. In these instances, the noun takes a
  plural verb. However, when these nouns refer to
  individual practice or application or activities,
  they generally take a plural verb statistics,
  physics, mathematics, electronics, economics,
  politics, aerodynamics, mechanics, calisthenics,
  etc.
• SINGULAR Statistics is a required course for
  doctoral students.
• PLURAL The statistics on child abuse are
  alarming.

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Examples!

• Statistics is not my favorite subject.
• (In this sentence, statistics indicates a field
  of study.)
• BUT
• Statistics show that divorce is a common
  practice in our society.
• (In this sentence, statistics is
  pluralmultiple data about divorce.)

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More Examples!

• Certain nouns with plural forms and no singular
  counterpart are nearly always used with plural
  verbs riches, grits, eyeglasses, manners, wages,
  pliers, whereabouts, jeans, binoculars, tweezers,
  people, scissors, tidings, trousers, minutes,
  tights, clothes.
• EXAMPLE
• The scissors are lying on the table.
• Membership dues are 100.00 a year.

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Lets Practice!

• Mathematics (does/do) not interest me at all I
  enjoy studying foreign languages.
• Measles (is/are) a childhood disease.
• The molasses (tastes/taste) delicious on the
  pancakes, but the grits (is/are) crunchy.
• My jeans (isnt/arent) dry, so I guess I will
  wear shorts.

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Lets Practice!

• Mathematics does not interest me at all I enjoy
  studying foreign languages.
• Measles is a childhood disease.
• The molasses taste delicious on the pancakes, but
  the grits are crunchy.
• My jeans arent dry, so I guess I will wear
  shorts.