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Irregular Agreement

Unusual noun forms and their agreement

 

 

Plural Only Agreement
BASE WORD FORM WORD FORM ENDING WITH  –S

These plural-only nouns are not marked with the expected final -s.

These plural-only nouns have no singular form.  (Note the nouns consist of paired parts.)

Funny PeoplePeople are funny.

*A people is at the door.
A person is at the door.
Two people are at the door.
Some people are at the door.
except: They were a kinder, more caring people.  (group)

pants Pants are bright .

jeans, trousers, breeches, overalls, briefs, corduroys, slacks, knickers, shorts, etc.

*A pant is on the floor.
A pair of pants are on the floor..
This pant leg needs shortening.

 

the police The police are coming. (group noun)

*A police is at the door.
*Two police are at the door.
Two police officers / policemen are at the door.
 

scissors Scissors are useful.

pliers, tweezers, tongs, shears, snippers, forceps, etc.

*A scissor is useful.
A pair of scissors are useful.
This scissor blade needs sharpening.

 

CattleThe cattle are in the field.
The livestock are in the field.  (animals raised for food)
The poultry are in the pen. (birds raised for food)  

*Six cattle are in the field.  (Six head of cattle…)
A thousand cattle are on this ranch.
*This cattle is from our ranch.
These cattle are from are ranch.  

pants Glasses are available in many styles.

goggles, binoculars, spectacles, etc.

*A glass is available in many styles.
A pair of glasses was left on the counter.
This glass lens needs replacing.

 

 

suds Suds are coming out of the washing machine.

*A sud is on my beer.
A bubble is on my nose.

 

*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
Related page: Singular form (no change for plural form)

 

 

 

 

Singular-Only

Noun forms with singular agreement

 

 

 

Singular Agreement
BASE WORD FORM WORD FORM ENDING WITH  –S

Noncount nouns are singular-only nouns which usually have no plural form. See exceptions. One could also argue that a unique noun is singular-only in actual usage (though a plural could be formed morphologically.) 

For some words, the -s is part of the lexical base of the word. It is not a plural marker. The agreement with the verb is singular.

a bowl of riceRice is delicious.  (all noncount nouns)

newspaperThe news is good today!  

equator*The equator is equidistant from the poles.  (Singular in usage only.)

Unique nouns: equator, earth, universe, etc.

 

the measles Measles is a serious illness.
shingles, mumps, rabies, hives, hiccups.


 

lab technicianIt is difficult to escape. 
It is a good idea to take it outside.

    It is +adj + infinitive.
   

teacher Mathematics is an important course.

Classes: Economics, Physics, Linguistics, Gymnastics, Ceramics

These words have singular forms: classics, statistics, acoustics, ethics.

 
 

world series game The World Series is played in October.

series, species (The final -s is part of the word not a plural ending.)
 

 

BilliardsBilliards is a game of skill.

checkers, darts, cards, dominoes, ninepins,

(CaGEL 3.2.3)

 

 

 

 

Same Word From

Singular or Plural

 

 

Both Singular and Plural
BASE WORD FORM WORD FORM ENDING WITH  –S

The base word form is singular or plural in agreement.   A plural form may be used to express varieties.  See Plural–Varieties   This is also called "base plural" form.

The the final -s word form is singular or plural in agreement.

deerA deer is in the field.
Two deer are in the field.

 

 

 

kennels The kennels is located in a building nearby.
The kennels are kept clean.

headquarters, barracks, crossroads, rapids, golf links

sheepA sheep is walking on the road.
Two sheep are walking on the road.  (also: fish, deer)   

There are several means of solving the problem.
The telephone is a means of communication.

fishA fish is hiding behind the rock.
Three fish are swimming with scuba tanks.

 

See Irreg Plural Nouns

 

aircraftAn aircraft is overhead.
Aircraft are overhead.

An aircraft is overhead.

 

 

 

(CaGEL 5 §3.2.3)

 

 

 

 

Foreign Words

Other word forms

 

Foreign Singular /Plural Markers
BASE FORM OTHER WORD FORM ENDINGS

A  number of nouns of foreign origin do not form a plural from a base form + s.  The singular form is inflected (marked) differently from the plural form.  Singular markers include -us, -om, -on, -ium, -ix, -ex, -is.

Plural markers include -i, -a, -ae, ices, -en, -es. 

cactusA cactus is able to live in the desert.

bacterium, index, phenomenon, child, datum, analysis, etc.

 

 

cactiCacti are able to live in the desert.

bacteria, indices, phenomena, children, data, analyses, etc.

 

See Borrowed Words.

 

 

 

Special Cases

Language, nationalities, and organizations

 

 

Language — People
BASE WORD FORM THE – BASE WORD FORM

The noun for a language is singular in agreement.

The noun for a people (group) or nationality is plural in agreement.    

English spoken hereEnglish is spoken here.
LANGUAGE: Spanish Japanese, Chinese,
Portuguese, Chinese, Swahili, etc.

 

 

The EnglishThe English are a proud people.
PEOPLE: The Japanese, The Chinese,The Portuguese, The Spaniards, etc.


 

See - Articles - Nationality  |  The Group

 

 

Group Nouns
WORD FORM–S  IS MASS NOUN WORD FORM–S IS COUNT NOUN

The group name refers to all the members as a whole. (noncount noun) It takes all to win.

The group name refers to each member. (count noun) Each person does his or her best to win.

Boy ScoutsThe Boy Scouts is a large organization.

Organizations: The United Nations, The Democrats, The Lyons Club, etc.
 

scouts The boy scouts are selling Christmas trees.

Refers to members, individuals.

US Map The United States is a large country.

The Philippines, the Maldives, the Netherlands, etc.

congress The United States are constantly disagreeing.

Refers to members, individuals, governors

Clock twenty minutesTwenty minutes is a short time.

Quantities of time: 24 hours, 7 days a week,
Four plus four is eight. One and one is two.

Three hundred and sixty five days equals a year.

But not percentages or fractions.  See Phrase Noun Agr   

 

a child in "time out" These twenty minutes are passing slowly.

Refers to units.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clause Agreement

Subject position

 

 

Mostly Singluar
SINGLE CLAUSE AS SUBJECT COMPOUND CLAUSES AS SUBJECT

A clause (finite or nonfinte) may take the  subject position.  In most cases the clause is singular in agreement.

When one or more clauses take the subject position (clauses coordinated with and) the agreement is plural.

THAT

sleep walkerThat he is tired is obvious to everyone.

 

        See That–Subj Clauses   

 

That he is tired and that he sleepwalks are two reasons he cannot be left alone.

 

       

WH– CLAUSES

speakerWhat she said was amusing to everyone.
Where she went
When she smiled
How she laughed
Whether or not she was in love

 See What– Subj Clauses   

 

What she said and what she did were amusing to everyone.

GERUND

Dancing    Dancing is a lot of fun. 
    Gerunds (activities) : running, swimming, cooking, sleeping, etc.
    Infinitives (activities) : to run, to swim, to cook, to sleep, etc.

  See Gerund as Subject   

 

 Dancing and singing are a lot of fun. 
 

INFINITIVE

danceTo dance is divine.

See Infinitive as Subject. 

 

To dance and to sing are divine.

 

obvious (adj.) – easily seen or recognized

 

 

 

Agreement in Lists

Nouns in a series

 

 

Subject – verb agreement with a series of nouns
SINGULAR ITEM MULTIPLE SINGULAR-ITEM LIST

OR

packageA package is on the desk.

 

 multiple singular items in a series 

AND

a pencil, a notebook, and an eraserA pencil, a notebook and an eraser are on the desk.

 

 

 

 

A package, envelope, or box is on the desk. (I can't remember which.)

A package, an envelope, and  a box are on the desk.

 

 

 

 

There agreement with a series of nouns
CLOSEST ITEM IS SINGULAR CLOSEST ITEM IS PLURAL

There does not have a particular subject-verb agreement.  The agreement is with the closest noun.

There agreement differs with dialectal usage.  In BrEnglish, plural agreement is used if the closest noun is plural or if there are multiple items in a series.  In US English, plural agreement is with the closest noun.

There   is a book, some pencils, and a notepad on my desk. (En-US)
There are a book, some pencils, and a notepad on my desk.  (En-Br)
 

There are some pencils, books, and notepads on my desk.
There are some pencils, a book and a notepad on my desk.

Also agreement with There – Existence

 

 

Practice 1

Baseball

bat and ball

 

Is the agreement correct?
  1. Select an option: correct or incorrect.Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. 
  2. Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.

 

1.
Playing baseball and football is my favorite thing to do. 

   

2.
My baseball team, The Giants, is made up of fifteen guys.

   

3.
Our coach is from the Philippines which are pretty far away from where we live.

      

4.
The people on my team are funny.

        

5.
The 90 minutes that we play together are good workout. 

     

workout (n.)  – exercise

6.
The police is one of our supporters.   
     

7.
They help buy our uniforms which are very nice.

     

8.
What we need to buy next are some new equipments.

      

9.
Our bat, ball, and catcher's mask needs replacement.   

   

10.
We hope to win the Little League World Series, which are coming up soon.  

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 2

Next Season's Toys

baby handlesDigitl Piggy Bank The couple

 

 

 

Select the correct agreement.    
  1. Select the response from the menu that best completes the sentence.
  2. Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.

 

11.


sophisticated – grown up; adult-like

12.

13.


reunite (v.) – bring together again
campaign (n.) – actions that we take to get attention in marketing or politics

14.



celebrity (n.) – well-known person, usually living

15.

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 3

English Sheep

sheepdog

Sheep with Sheep Dog

 

 

 

Edit the sentence.
  1. Read each sentence and edit it so that the agreement is correct.
  2. Compare your edits to the answers on the right. 
    Bracketed [ ] letters or words should be deleted.
    Asterisk *enclosed* words should be changed.

 

Read for errors

The English is well-known for raising sheeps.  There are over sixty different breeds of sheeps in the UK. Sheep has been raised in England for hundreds of years. Ninety per-cent of the sheep is raised for wool. Annually, from two to thirty pounds of wool are produced by one sheep. The wool from one sheep is called "a fleece", the wool from many sheep, "a clip". Genetics are one factor that determine how much wool a sheep will produce. Lamb produces less wool than mature animal.

While sheeps and goats have many similarities, they are different species. Telling the difference between a sheep and goat are easy — look at their tails.  A goat's tail goes up but a sheep's tail hangs down. Most goat grow hair that do not require shearing or combing. Most sheep grow wool that need to be sheared annually. One sheep, named "Shrek", got out of its paddock and was not found for seven years.  When the owner found and sheared Shrek, he produced 68 pound of wool, enough to make 20 men’s suits.

breed (n.) – type of animal

raise (v.) – care for, look after

annually (adv.) – happening every year

wool (n.) –  the soft coat of a sheep

produce (v.) – make, grow, create

genetics (n.) – the study of genes (the part of a cell in a living thing that controls what it looks like, how it grows, and how it develops)

factor (n.) – part, one of several things that influence or cause a situation

mature (adj.) – fully grown

shear (v.) – to cut the wool off a sheep

paddock (n.) – small exercise pen for farm animals, especially horses

owner (n.) – person who possesses, has, owns something

 

 

 

 

Edit for errors
  1. Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
  2. Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.
16.
The English is well-known for raising sheeps.  There are over sixty different breeds of sheeps in the UK.


17.
Sheep has been raised in England for hundreds of years. Ninety per-cent of the sheep is raised for wool.  raise (v.) – care for, look after


18.
Annually, from two to thirty pounds of wool are produced by one sheep. The wool from one sheep is called "a fleece", the wool from many sheep, "a clip".

annually (adv.) – happening every year
wool (n.) –  the soft coat of a sheep
produce (v.) – make, grow, create


19.
Genetics are one factor that determine how much wool a sheep will produce. Lamb produces less wool than mature animal.

genetics (n.) – the study of genes (the part of a cell in a living thing that controls what it looks like, how it grows, and how it develops)
factor (n.) – part, one of several things that influence or cause a situation
mature (adj.) – fully grown


20.
While sheeps and goats have many similarities, they are different species. Telling the difference between a sheep and goat are easy — look at their tails.  A goat's tail goes up but a sheep's tail hangs down.


21.
Most goat grow hair that do not require shearing or combing. Most sheep grow wool that need to be sheared annually.
 shear (v.) – to cut the wool off a sheep


22.
One sheep, named "Shrek", got out of its paddock and was not found for seven years.  When the owner found and sheared Shrek, he produced 68 pound of wool, enough to make 20 men’s suits.
paddock (n.) – small exercise pen for farm animals, especially horses
owner (n.) – person who possesses, has, owns something