This tag applies to questions that deal with grammatical number: “singular” versus “plural”, and (rarely) also “dual”.
6
votes
3answers
4k views
Is “a total of 10 payments” singular or plural?
A total of 10 payments were made.
OR
A total of 10 payments was made.
Which is correct? Or can both be correct?
6
votes
4answers
830 views
Plurals of foreign words
What rules of thumb govern when to pluralise a foreign word as it should be in the original language and when it should be pluralised as an English word?
For example, you'd get some funny looks using ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Plural of “syntax” [closed]
What is the plural of syntax? Would it be syntacies? What rule would govern this kind of construction?
6
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the correct plural form of the word “forum”?
"Fora vs Forums"
I understand that the word "forums" is more acceptable than "fora" because anyone can understand its meaning today and that English is a living language so it's adapting, but except ...
6
votes
5answers
2k views
Is the word “management” singular or plural? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is a company always plural, or are small companies singular?
Which one of the following is correct?
Management gets its ideas from its employees.
Management gets ...
6
votes
3answers
746 views
Does a person have two “masters’ degrees” or two “master’s degrees”? [duplicate]
When someone has more than one master’s degree, should these be described as have several masters’ degrees or several master’s degrees?
In other words, which of these two applies:
(singular) a ...
6
votes
1answer
123 views
The verb agreement for “one” when used as a subject
The first sentence in "Blake" in The Sacred Wood by T. S. Eliot is
If one follow Blake’s mind through the several stages of his poetic
development it is impossible to regard him as a naïf, a ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the plural form of “phoenix”?
I have found several different variations.
phe·nix·es
phoenīcēs
There is no plural form.
Which is correct one? Is there anything else?
6
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I optionally pluralize the word “diagnosis” in writing?
I'm building a web form and am looking to label a check box list used to select one or more diagnoses. I want to label this list in a way that indicates to the user that they may select one or more ...
6
votes
4answers
198 views
“His head” or “their head”?
I was disappointed to see a favorite storybook from my childhood has been edited. (Harry, the Dirty Dog; ISBN-13: 978-0064430098) I distinctly remember the text written as follows:
...but ...
6
votes
0answers
264 views
What is the name for a word that is both singular and plural? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a term for words that have identical singular and plural forms?
Oddly enough for a computing tutor, I encounter the need for this term fairly often.
I'm of ...
6
votes
3answers
399 views
Why don't we pluralize “foot” in measurements?
For example, to answer the question, "How tall are you?" valid answers include:
Five feet.
Five foot three.
Five feet, three inches.
Why the discrepancy between feet and foot, seemingly only in ...
5
votes
6answers
783 views
Why is it “Do a Barrel Roll” and not “Does a Barrel Roll”? [closed]
Google search throws you a nice effect when you try searching "Do a Barrel Roll."
Should not it be "Does a Barrel Roll," assuming it's one Barrel (or barrel), or at least "Do a Barrels Roll"? (I ...
5
votes
5answers
585 views
“One of those is flags”
Jeff Atwood ♦ has just posted something that I'm confused about
Stack Overflow, due to its size, has some unique problems. One of those is flags
I'd say that those and flags are both in ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views
What is the plural of “BlackBerry” (as in the handheld device)
Is the plural of "BlackBerry", BlackBerries or BlackBerrys?
I am asking, because I'm altering the underlying brand name to look more like the food and less like the product, leaving the reader to ...
5
votes
4answers
355 views
Usage of apostrophe in “baker’s dozen”
In the phrase “baker’s dozen”, why does the apostrophe indicate possession of a (single) baker? Shouldn't it indicate possession of all bakers in general? Shouldn’t it be “bakers’ dozen”?
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Are units in English singular or plural?
I am a little bit confused about using units in English, sometimes I hear that people use singular units for plural things, sometimes they use plural ones. Which one is correct?
3 meter(s) long?
...
5
votes
2answers
16k views
“Congratulation” vs. “congratulations”
Congratulation vs. congratulations — which one to use? How/when?
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Should I use a singular or plural “one” here?
Sometimes I get confused over how and when we should use plurals.
For example, should we say:
They are the only one who is capable
of doing this
Or
They are the only one who are
capable ...
5
votes
2answers
430 views
Are uncountable nouns considered irregular plurals like man men?
Is "rice", for example only, considered an irregular plural?
5
votes
5answers
500 views
Spelling and plural of abbreviation “hi vis”
We regularly use these "hi visibility jackets/vests":
We use them often enough to informally abbreviate it to simply "hi vis".
I am struggling as to how to pluralise such a term. In speech it ...
5
votes
5answers
2k views
“The splits” vs “a split”
All my life I knew it as "I can do a split", but recently it has come to my attention that many people refer to it as "the splits" which sounds absolutely dreadful to my ear because it defies all the ...
5
votes
1answer
219 views
Which is correct: “What kind of CDs” or “What kinds of CDs”?
Is it correct to say:
What kind of CDs do you have?
or
What kinds of CDs do you have?
5
votes
2answers
980 views
How does “each” change “are” to “is”?
Relevant: 'Each' with plural or singular verb and What should I use between “triple” vs. “all”?
The answers in the linked question don't quite help me. Specifically, what happens with this case:
...
5
votes
3answers
41k views
“Analysis” vs. “analyses”
The (U.S.) National Institutes of Health website has a webpage that states that it contains
reports, data and analyses of NIH research activities
I feel as though this sounds awkward. Would ...
5
votes
2answers
228 views
“I played two music” vs. “I played two pieces of music”
I have a Canadian friend who sometimes helps me improve my English. A few days ago she sent me a list of some words (nouns) which the plural form is the same of the singular. One of these words was ...
5
votes
2answers
941 views
Plural name apostrophe position
At my English lesson the native English speaker couldn’t tell what is correct and promised to search it for us!
He told us that if James is one person then we should write
James' Book
but if ...
5
votes
6answers
304 views
Why is it “materials science” instead of “material science”?
Does anyone know how the "s" at the end of "materials" in "materials science" came about? It seems like "material science" would be equivalent, and is more natural to say aloud. For comparison with a ...
5
votes
5answers
1k views
What’s the correct plural possessive of “kids”?
I know that children’s books is correct, but for some reason I want to say kids books, even though I know that it’s a plural possessive noun ending in an s.
A quick search on the web turns up Barnes ...
5
votes
2answers
289 views
Why “pay top dollar” and not “pay top dollars”
Why do we use pay top dollar and not pay top dollars? Dollar is countable, so dollars look more correct.
5
votes
2answers
183 views
Plural of “Animus/Anima”
What is the plural of the words “animus” and “anima”? In any context (literary, Jung psychology, apothecary etc.). Is there English v. Latin differences? Interwebs are no help: versions differ from ...
5
votes
3answers
755 views
Why do we use plural for indefinite objects?
Building off another question I answered here, I couldn't justify why exactly we say:
I like to ride bicycles.
Instead of:
I like to ride a bicycle.
(This could be anything: "climb mountains", ...
5
votes
4answers
3k views
“Nobody want to go there,” or “nobody wants to go there”?
In English, the number 0 is treated as plural. It is then:
0 seconds
1 second
1.2 seconds
2 seconds
Shouldn't it be "nobody want to go there," instead of "nobody wants to go there"?
I also ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
“A lot of ideas” is or are?
My boyfriend and I are arguing about whether the phrase "a lot of ideas" should be followed with is or are. I say that it should be is because the verb is linking to a lot, not ideas. If it were "lots ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Why “themselves” and “himself”
In the earliest grades of elementary schools, students learn that "hisself" and "theirselves" are not words. I do not understand why this is.
If you wanted to refer to 'his' sock, you would say "his ...
5
votes
2answers
553 views
“On their back” or “on their backs”?
After the therapy, eight children (43%) became able to crawl/move on their back.
Or should I use "on their backs"?
Singular because each child only has one back, or plural because we're dealing ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
“Many lost their life” or “Many lost their lives”
Many individuals lost their individual life.
or
Many individuals list their individual lives.
Each person has one life right?
5
votes
1answer
646 views
Children were sitting on their parents' lap or laps?
Children were sitting on their parents' lap or laps? Can lap be used in plural form at all?
5
votes
2answers
186 views
Uses of the word “lyrics”
I have a doubt on the uses of the word lyrics. I would like to know how it is used by a native English speaker.
The Concise Oxford English Dictionary says: lyric noun (also lyrics) the words of a ...
5
votes
2answers
4k views
What is the correct syntax for a plural possessive of a word already ending in s? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?
Before you vote to close as a duplicate, note that these two questions deal with similar issues to this, but none ...
5
votes
2answers
801 views
Correct plural form of a zero quantified noun
When using zero as a quantifier, is it correct to use the singular form on the object of the quantifier, or the plural form?
It sounds confusing when I put it that way, but what I mean is: Which is ...
5
votes
1answer
656 views
Is the plural of the electronic mouse “mouses” or “mice”?
Is the plural of that device that you plug into your computer mouses or mice? Which of these is correct?
I bought some wireless optical mouses for my colleagues at work.
I bought some ...
5
votes
1answer
202 views
How do I refer to two things together that have different adjectives?
I want to express these two facts: there is a front view; and there is a side view.
Which of the following are valid ways of referring to the two views together?
a front and side view;
a ...
5
votes
1answer
356 views
plural noun/singular verb and vice versa [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
None as plural indefinite pronoun
In my work I am often exposed to sentences written by nonnative speakers of English.
I often come across sentences with a singular noun ...
5
votes
2answers
172 views
Combined reference to multiple leave
Dictionaries(dictionary.com, OALD etc.) suggest that leave (absence from work) is a noun- uncountable, which means it has to be "leave" for plural. Also, searching SE to find ...
5
votes
2answers
203 views
What is the origin of the pluralization “virii”?
However wrong it may be, lots of people have pluralized virus as virii. I'd understand viri, but what misconception could lead one to write virii?
5
votes
2answers
258 views
“Communications In English for Engineers” — what does it exactly mean?
A lecture at my university is titled "Communications In English for Engineers".
Somebody from my year stated that 'communications' (in plural) relate to telecommunication and generally ...
5
votes
2answers
414 views
When should I use “corpuses” over “corpora”?
I've come into a situation where I need to use the plural form of corpus, but I'm a bit confused about which plural form to use.
Merriam-Webster says the only plural form is corpora, for all senses ...
5
votes
6answers
2k views
“A variety of X is” vs. “a variety of X are”
Which of the following sentences is correct?
A variety of dishes are being prepared.
A variety of dishes is being prepared.
I believe that both can be used, though I'd stick with ...
5
votes
1answer
242 views
How do I present a word ending in “‑f ” that may be plural or singular?
When we don’t know if a word refers to one or more, it is common to use a parenthetical s:
door/doors: door(s)
lamp/lamps: lamp(s)
What’s the best or least awkward way to render this for words ...
