SINGULAR AND PLURAL

1) Singular words ending in –s

athletics (atletismo)

economics (economía)

politics (política)

linguistics (lingüística)

mathematics (matemáticas)

physics (física)

measles (sarampión, measles is an illness……)

mumps (paperas ,mumps is an illness….)

rabies (rabia, hidrofobia)

rickets (raquitismo)

billiards (billar)

darts (dardo)

dominoes (domino)

draughts (AmE chequers) (juego de las damas)

News: noticia, (bad news: problema. This boy is bad news). The news is bad.

2) Unusual plurals

person, people

- Mutation plurals:

foot (pie), feet

tooth (diente), teeth

mouse (ratón), mice

dormouse (lirón), dormice

louse (piojo), lice

goose (ganso), geese

man (hombre), men

woman (mujer), women

- -en plurals:

Child (niño/a), children

Ox (buey), oxen

Brother (hermano), brethren (religious term)

- Foreign plurals:

alga, algae

larva, larvae

phenomenon, phenomena

criterion, criteria

analysis, analyses

hypothesis, hypotheses

schema, schemata

fungus (hongo), fungi

stimulus, stimuli

memorandum, memoranda

bacterium,bacteria

bureau (agencia, departamento, escritorio), bureaux

paparazzi

graffiti

When the words are totally assimilated they add –(e)s:

album, albums

campus, campuses

virus, viruses

3) Zero plurals (same form for singular and plural, and verb usu singular):

- Trout (trucha/s)

- Salmon (salmon/es)

- Fish (pez/peces)

- Duck (pato/s)

- Deer (ciervo/s)

- Sheep (oveja/s)

- Cod (bacalao/s)

- quail ( codorniz/codornices))

- grouse ( urogallo/s)

- aircraft (avión/aviones)

Ending in –s (and with verb in singular or in plural):

Species (especie/s). A species/ many species (countable)

series . A TV series/many TV series

crossroads (cruce/s)

barracks ( cuartel/es)

headquarters ( cuartel general)

gallows ( horca/s)

rendezvous (encuentro/s). Voz francesa.

4) Nouns always plural

Scissors (Tijeras). A pair of scissors are on the table.

shears (= tijeras de podar)

binoculars

glasses, sunglasses, spectacles (gafas, anteojos)

headphones, earphones

tights (= mallas)

jeans

trousers, shorts, pants

pyjamas

underpants

panties / knickers

clothes----- una prenda de ropa= a garment / an item of clothing

handcuffs (esposas)

pliers (= alicates)

tongs (=tenazas)

scales (= balanza)

tweezers (=pinzas)

5) NOUNS WITH A SPECIAL MEANING IN THE PLURAL

These words have a different meaning in the singular.

premises (=building) (oficina, domicilio, local)

minutes (acta). Write a meeting minutes

sights (mirilla de un arma). Gun sights

honours (honorario)

customs (aduana)

spirits (humor) He was in good spirits after having passed the class.

airs (to give oneself airs) (presumir)

looks (físico, aspect)

manners ( modales)

damages (indemnización)

works (= fábrica, taller) MORE CURIOUS STUFF…

- The plural of numbers, letters and abbreviations is formed by adding

apostrophe and –s: Eg There are two s’s in necessary.