There are many words in English that are often used only in the plural form. Speakers often make the mistake of using the plural grammatical form
when they should actually use the singular. Here are 9 words that are quite common in the plural but unusual in the singular with examples of how to use them
Data– The singular is datum
Example: The data show that the drug effectively lowers cholesterol
Criteria– The singular is criterionمعايير
Example: The most important criteria for college admissions committees are GPA, SAT score and involvement in extracurricular activities
Media-The singular is medium
Example: The media are often accused of being biased
Alumni– The singular is alumnus for a male and alumna for a female female plural is alumnaeالخريجين
Example: The alumni gathered at their university for their 10th reunion
Dice – The singular is die النرد
Example: Yahtzee is played by rolling five dice to make different combinations
Bacteria– The singular is bacterium
Example: Bacteria are often found on light switches and remote controls in hotel
Algae– The singular is algaالطحالب
Example: Some types of algae are edible
Paparazzi – The singular is paparazzo
Example: The paparazzi compete with one another to get the best picture of a celebrity
Parentheses– The singular isparenthesisالاقواس
Example: The teacher did not like that she used so many parentheses in her writing
رد مع اقتباس