Ex.1. Say whether the nouns in bold type are collective or nouns of multitude

1. According to modern standards my family isn’t big. 2. My family are early birds. 3. The board consists of twelve people. 4. I know what the board think of me. They regard me as the spoiled granddaughter of a rich and powerful woman. And the board are very aware of that. 5. This council is responsible for looking after roads. 6. The council have been promising to mend the fences, doors, and windows for years. 7. The public stop and stare. 8. “You could join us,” he suggested helpfully. “We are a jolly crowd. ” 9. The government has cut back on public expenditure. 10. Some people said darkly that the Government were behind it. 11. The staff are going to buy a leaving present for their boss. 12. His staff is very efficient.13. This team plays for Spain. 14. The team are training hard for the coming match. 15. Statistics is the study of figures. 16. Statistics are often misleading. 17. Politics is a popular topic now. 18. What are his politics? 19. The jury were in disagreement. 20. The jury has announced its verdict. 21. The police are here and they are doing their best. 22. The local police have closed this nightclub. 23. The police were assisted by private detectives. 24. The cattle are in the fields. 25. Where are the people? – They have gone to the briefing. 26. Her poultry are the finest in the whole village. 27. The Roman Catholic clergy are stationed in Vatican. 28. Dice are used in many board games. 29. How different are the beliefs of various peoples across the world! 30. The peoples of the Commonwealth will have a new monetary unit.

 

 

Ex.2. State whether the following nouns are followed by a singular or a plural verb or by both.

oats gallows tweezers

dominoes gentry tongs

Athens staff folk

bellows series offspring

pants riches amends

clergy thanks the Thames

darts bowls damage

pincers valuables draughts

quarters species congratulations

crew annals credentials

lens vermin rickets

the Lords kennels mumps

remains resources contents

sermons the Commons regards

alms barracks linguistics

 

Ex.3. Make the right concord between subject and predicate:

1. Look! The police (have) finally arrived!
2. The youth (play) tennis better than his father.
3. Youth (be) keener on sports than their parents.
4. Linguistics (be) a subject taught at University.
5. Acoustics (have) developed in modern times.
6. The acoustics in this room (be) very bad.
7. Mumps (be) an ailment of children.
8. Measles (be) an unpleasant illness.
9. I’m sorry, but the news (be) very bad.
10. Mathematics (be) a difficult subject.
11. His mathematics (be) getting better and better.
12. The archives of our town (be) kept in the Town Hall.
13. Bacteria (cause) some diseases.
14. Splendid cattle (be) bought by Mr. Smith.
15. Billiards (be) a popular game in Britain.
16. My new trousers (be) out of fashion.

 

Ex.4. Give all possible meanings in the singular and in the plural of the following:

glass force respect

custom draught quarter

pain damage spirit

manner fund scale

gut people (folk) ash

minute colour

 

Ex. 5A Read and translate the sentences. Comment on the meaning of the words in bold type.

1. The fishermen are out in all weathers. If you don’t catch any fish, there’s no pay. 2. My employer was an importer of a rare tropical fish. 3. Try this fish. Everybody who tries it, likes it. 4. Meredith peered down into the pond. “There really are fish in it,” she said sounding surprised. 5. Forget him! There are many other fish in the sea. 6. He had a big collection of minerals, insects and fishes. 7. He studies the fishes of the Atlantic. 8. What an odd fish he is! 9. They’ve been fishing since dawn but so far haven’t caught a single fish. 10. Are you fishing out for a compliment? 11. The largest of all fish is the Whale Shark. 12. Just look at him! He thinks he is a cool fish!