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

2.29 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 For the + adjective + plural verb (e.g. the blind) [> 6.12.2].

2.30 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

2.31 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 at 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.

Number (singular and plural)

Plural-form nouns describing illnesses [> 3.15] 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

2.32 Nouns with a plural form + plural verb

Nouns with a plural form only (+ plural verb) are:

- nouns which can combine with a pair of [> App 5.8]:
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 cleaner s 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
suds surroundings thanks, tropics
All my belongings are in this bag