Plural ending. Nouns that have the same form in the singular and plural. Nouns used only in the plural.

Date: 10.08.2019

The plural in English (plurals of nouns) can be formed in several ways. The choice of method depends on which ending the word has in the singular.

How the plural of nouns is formed

Most nouns in English form the plural form by simply adding -s at the end. For example, cat-cats, dog-dogs, etc. But some words form plural differently. We will analyze each such case separately.

Nouns ending in -y

The ending -y, before which the consonant is faced, in the plural turns into -ies:

Nouns ending in -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z

If a word in English ends with -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z, the plural is added to the ending -es:

There is one exception to this rule. If the ending -ch is pronounced as ‘k’, in the plural only -s is added:

Nouns ending in f or -fe

For nouns ending in a consonant or a single vowel + endings -f or -fe, these endings change to -ves:

Nouns ending in -o

Most nouns with -o at the end form the plural form by simply adding the letter -s after it:

Even if there is another vowel before -o, only -s is added in the plural:

Studio - Studio	Studios - Studios
Zoo - Zoo	Zoos - Zoos
Embryo - embryo	Embryos - embryos

However, some words ending in -o require the plural -es. Here are the most common ones:

Exception Words

In all cases of the formation of the plural described above, the letter -s appears in the ending one way or another. But there are nouns in English, the plural form of which is formed in other ways:

Nouns that have the same form in the singular and plural:

Aircraft - aircraft- aircraft / aircraft

Bison - bison - bison / bison

Cod - cod - cod

Deer - deer- deer / deer

Fish - fish - fish / fish

Moose - Moose - moose / moose

Offspring - offspring - offspring

Pike - pike - pike / pike

Salmon - salmon - salmon / salmon

Sheep - sheep - sheep / sheep

Shrimp - shrimp - shrimp / shrimp

Swine - swine - pig / pigs

Trout - trout - trout

Nouns Used Only in the Singular

All are used in the singular. In addition, there are nouns that can be in the plural form in Russian, but not in English:

Fruit - fruit

Advice - advice

Knowledge - knowledge

Hair - hair

Money - money

Vacation - holidays

Plural in compound nouns

In most compound nouns consisting of two or more separate words, only the key word is accepted in the plural form:

He now has two mothers-in-law - Now he has two whole mother-in-law.
They were visited by the Knights Templar “The Templars visited them.”
I have my own tennis shoes - I have my own tennis sneakers.

If a compound noun consists of two or more words combined into one, the plural is formed according to the usual rules, that is, by adding the corresponding ending.

We want to see the greenhouses - We want to see the greenhouses.
Don’t forget to buy three toothbrushes “Remember to buy three toothbrushes.”

Video about the plural of nouns:

Hello dear readers! Today you will learn how to form the plural in English. The topic is not complicated at first glance, but there are many nuances to which you should pay attention.

In English, the plural form only countable nouns, i.e., countable. Such nouns can be singular or plural. I think it’s no secret to anyone what the plural is. If the singular is used to denote a single subject or concept, then the plural is used to denote several items. So, now we will consider the basic rules for the formation of the plural in English.

Plural nouns in English

1. The plural of most nouns is formed by adding the ending −s to the noun in the singular.

−s reads:

[z] after vowels and voiced consonants
[s]after deaf consonants

and tie tie - tie s ties
a teacher teacher - teacher s [ˈTiːʧəz] teachers
a room room - room s the rooms
a map map - map s cards

2. Nouns ending in consonants s, ss, sh, ch, tch, x, in the plural accept the ending -swhich is read [ɪz].

a match match - match es [ˈMæʧɪz] matches

3. Nouns that end in a vowel -about, in the plural also accept the ending -s.

hero hero - hero es [ˈHɪərəʊz] heroes
tomato a tomato −tomato es tomatoes

If before the final -about is a vowel, the plural noun accepts the ending -s.

radio radio - radio s [ˈReɪdɪəʊz] radios
kangaroo kangaroo - kangaroo s kangaroo

If a noun that ends in -about singular is an abbreviation, then in the plural it also accepts the ending -s.

photo (graph) the photo) - photo s [ˈFəʊtəʊz] photo
kilo (gramme) kilo (gram) - kilo s [ˈKiːləʊz] kilograms

In some cases, variations with −s and -es.

flamingo flamingo - flamingo s flamingo es flamingo
volcano volcano - volcano s volcano es volcanoes

4. To nouns ending in yeah, and before ending yeah consonant, ending is added -s and at changes to i.

a factory factory - factor ies [ˈFæktəriz] factories

In case before −y there is a vowel, no changes occur, and the plural is formed by adding the ending -s.

a day day - day s days

5. Plural of some nouns that end in f, fe formed by replacement f consonant v and adding graduation -es. The following nouns obey this rule:

cal calf - cal ves calves
half half - hal ves halves
elf elf −el ves elves
knife knife −kni ves knives
leaf tree leaf - lea ves leaves
life a life - li ves of life
loaf loaf −loa ves loaves
self self - sel ves we ourselves
sheaf a bunch - shea ves [ʃiːvz] ligaments
shelf shelf - shel ves [ʃɛlvz] shelves
thief thief - thie ves [θiːvz] the thieves
wife wife - wi ves wives
wolf wolf −wolves wolves

In some cases, variations with endings are possible. f and v.

hoof hoof - hoo fs hoo ves hooves
scarf scarf - scar fs , scar ves scarves
wharf marina - whar fs , whar ves marinas

Exception plural

6. Some nouns have preserved archaic plural forms. The plural of such nouns is formed by changing root vowel or by adding ending - en.

a man the man - m en men
a woman woman - wom en [ˈwɪmɪn] women
brother ["brʌðər] brother - br ethr en ["breðrɪn] brethren
foot leg - f eet legs
goose goose - g eese geese
louse ["laus] louse - l ice lice
mouse mouse - m ice the mouse
tooth tooth - t eeth teeth
a child [ʧaɪld] child - childr en [ˈʧɪldrən] children
ox [ɒks] bull - ox en [ˈⱰksən] bulls

7. In English, the forms of some nouns in the singular and in the plural coincide.

craft ship - ships
works factory - plants
species ["spi: ʃi: z] biol. view - views
headquarters ["hed" kwɔ: təz] main Directorate - Central Authorities
alms [ɑːmz] alms - alms
barracks [ˈbærəks] barracks - barracks
corps military man. diploma case - cases
grouse partridge
crossroads [ˈkrɒsˌrəʊdz] road crossing - crossroads
deer deer - deer
sheep [ʃiːp] sheep - sheep
fish ["fɪʃ] fish - fish
fruit fruit - fruit
gallows [ˈgæləʊz] gallows - gallows
trout trout - trout
means means - means
salmon ["sæmən] salmon - salmon
series ["sɪəri: z] series - series
swine pig - pigs

8. Some nouns, which are of Latin or Greek origin, in the plural retained an archaic form.

analysis [ə "næləsɪs] analysis - analyses [ə "næləsi: z] analyzes
axis ["æksɪs] axis - axes ["æksɪz] axis
basis ["beɪsɪs] the foundation - bases ["beɪsi: z] the basics
crisis ["kraɪsɪs] a crisis - crises ["kraɪsi: z] crises
datum ["deɪtəm] given value - data ["deɪtə] data
erratum typo - errata typo list
formula [ˈfɔ: rmjulə] formula - formulae ["fɔ: rmjuli:], formulas [" fɔ: rmjuləz] formulas
locus ["ləukəs] location - loci ["ləusaɪ] location
memorandum [, memə "rændəm] memory record- memoranda [, memə "rændə], memorandums [, memə" rændəmz] notes
nucleus cell - nuclei cells
phenomenon phenomenon - phenomena phenomena
radius ["reɪdɪəs], [ˈreɪdjəs] radius - radii ["reɪdɪaɪ] radii
species [ˈspiːʃiːz] view, type - species [ˈspiːʃiːz] types, types
thesis [ˈθiːsɪs] thesis - theses [θiːsiːz] theses

9. In English, there are a number of nouns that are used only in the plural.

binoculars - binoculars
breeches ["brɪtʃɪz] - breeches
glasses ["aɪglɑːsɪz] - glasses
jeans [ʤiːnz] - jeans
pajamas, pajamas - pajamas
pliers [ˈplaɪəz] - pliers
scissors [ˈsɪzəz] - scissors
shorts ʃɔːts - shorts, underpants
stockings [ˈstɒkɪŋz] - socks
tights - tights
tongs - forceps
trousers [ˈtraʊzəz] - trousers
proceeds [ˈprəʊsiːdz] - income
surroundings - neighborhood
riches [ˈrɪʧɪz] - wealth
thanks [θæŋks] - thanks
wages [ˈweɪʤɪz] - earnings

Pluralization of compound nouns

1. Complex nouns that are written together form the plural by adding the ending to the second element.

schoolgirl schoolgirl - schoolgirl s schoolgirls
policeman policeman - policem en police officers

2. If a compound noun that is hyphenated includes the words man or woman, as one of the components of the word, then all parts of the word take the plural.

woman-writer a writer - wom en-writer s writers
gentleman-farmer gentleman farmer - gentlem en-farmer s gentleman farmers

3. Complex nouns that are hyphenated form the plural by changing the key element in meaning.

family-name surname - family-name s last names
commander-in-chief commander in chief - commander s-in-chief commander in chief

4. If the compound noun does not have a noun element, then the plural is formed by adding the ending −s to the last element.

forget-me-not forget-me-not - forget-me-not s forget-me-nots
merry-go-round carousel - merry-go-round s carousels

Note!

1. In English, some uncountable nouns can be used as countable.

Uncounted: success - luck, success (in general terms)

Success is in the details. - A meticulous attitude to business is the path to success.

Estimated :a success successful result - success essuccessful results

My new job is a success. - My new job is just a happy accident.
We learn from our success es and failures. - We learn from our successes and mistakes..

2. In English, some nouns can be consistent with the verb in the singular and in the plural, depending on the context, while not changing its form.

My family is large. - My family is big. (Family as a whole)
My family are early risers. - In our family everyone gets up early. (Family - as many individual members of the team)

3. In English, the same noun can be countable in one sense and uncountable in another.

Uncounted: iron - iron
Estimated: an iron iron - iron s irons

4. In English, some nouns with endings -s have the singular meaning and are accordingly consistent with the singular verbs.

news - news, news
economics - economy
physics - physics
a works - factory
mathematics - maths
a barracks - barracks

Video: Plural in English

Most study guides offer a discussion of singular and plural topics by categories of parts of speech: noun, verb, pronoun. We have prepared for you an unusual excursion into the world of numbers. Today we’ll talk about the most common cases and the rules of “multiplication” as a whole, consider externally similar, but different in grammatical functions changes in different parts of speech, as well as some exceptions (sometimes it seems that English is one complete exception), and try to apply all this in the "natural environment".

Singular in English ( singular / sg) designates or characterizes one subject:

a game
-self
this / that
he loves

Plural (plural / pl) is used when the number of items is more than one:

two cups of coffee
-selves
these / those
they love

Ending -s / -es

Ending -s- is one of the most common surviving endings in English and is a measure of the number. If the word ends in a hissing sound s / ss / x / sh / chit gets the ending -es (This is due to a more convenient pronunciation and does not visually lead to a pile of sizzling):

to match - it matches
to wash - she washes
a fox - foxes
a dress - dresses

From the above examples, you can see that:

he loves- singular
two cups - plural

The question is - why?
The thing is that in the examples above, the ending -s- appears in different parts of speech.
The category of numbers in verbs is active only in the present tense. The exception is to be Temporarily Past Simple (was / were).
In this way in verbs ending -s / -es indicates the use of the singular.

e.g.
Pl. vs. Sg.
we go - she goes
I spell - he spells (it is worth noting that in Present Simple the pronoun I compiles grammatical relationships according to the plural principle with verbs and has a special form to be).
they say - it says

Nouns the opposite principle applies. The ending is an indicator of plurality.

eg.
Sg. vs. Pl.
a ticket - tickets
a bus - buses
a college - colleges

Words ending with letters -y-

The principle of change / not change -y- acts in English regardless of the part of speech. Keep in mind:

* if -y- is preceded by a vowel, in the plural the ending -s- is appended to the word, and the letter -u is preserved:

a ray - rays
to buy - she buys

* if -y- is before a consonant, in the plural the letter -u changes to -ie-, then the end of the plural follows:

to try - he tries
sky - skies

Now let's talk about special cases of changes in the number, characteristic only for a certain part of speech.

Nouns in the singular and plural

In addition to the cases that we examined earlier, there are “special” numerical formations.
1. Change the word form.
There are a number of words that the plural form forms by changing the root vowels, sometimes the change affects the entire word form. These examples are not numerous. Often they are distinguished as exceptions. We list them:

man - men (and derivatives - fireman - firemen / policeman - policemen)
woman/ ˈWumən / - women / ˈWɪmɪn / (and derivatives - policewoman - policewomen)
tooth –teeth
foot - feet
goose - geese
mouse - mice
louse - lice
child - children
ox - oxen

Also in the English language there are a number of nouns that are written and pronounced the same regardless of their number - their forms are absolutely identical:

sheep - sheep/ sheep - sheep
swine - swine/ pig - pigs
deer - deer / deer - deer
grouse - grouse/ black grouse, partridge - black grouse
series - series/ series - series
species - species/ view - views ( species of butterflies - type of butterflies)
corps / kɔːr / - corps/ type of army

2. Borrowings
There is a rather capacious category of loan words that saved changes in the endings of their native language during the formation of plural forms. Most often these are words of Latin and Greek origin:

Sg. vs. Pl.
-us / -i(cactus - cacti / ˈKæktaɪ /) - cactus
-on / -a(phenomenon - phenomena)
-is / -es(crisis - crises)
-um / -a(datum - data)
-ex / -ices (index - indices)
-a / -ae(formula - formulae)

In colloquial speech, these words do not constitute a daily minimum, but can occur in any situation.

3. “Numerical preferences”
In English, you can find nouns that are used only in the singular or only in the plural. Exceptions again! Most often these are uncountable nouns or concepts that already contain a certain amount in their meaning.

Singular forever. We want to draw your attention to the fact that it is recommended to learn and remember these nouns, since they can be found in almost any area of \u200b\u200bour lives, and the principle by which they formed their attachment to the singular is often quite arbitrary.

money
hair (in the meaning of “hair” / can be plural in the meaning of “hair”, “hairs”)
news
information
knowledge
weather
work
advice
bread
furniture
music
progress

Words that lay in their meaning a certain amount ( dozen - a dozen / score - ten / head - when counting livestock by head) both numbers are allowed, but with numbers they are used only in the singular:

three dozen roses

Plural prefer paired items (scissors - scissors pants - pants, spectacles - glasses glasses- glasses, etc.), some geographical names ( The Netherlands, The Phillipines, The High Lands, etc.)

There are words that are not amenable to grouping, which should only be remembered:

police
people - people (there is an opportunity to use “ a person”In the singular) / a“ people - peoples"Matters people - peoples
clothes
contents
wages
riches- wealth
manners
customs
outskirts
proceeds
goods

Verbs in the singular and plural

we can - she can
you must - he must

The verb to be has a special relationship with numerical changes. It has certain shapes for every face - am / is / are (in the present tense) and was / were (in the past time).

we are - he is
they were - it was

Singular and plural pronouns

In English personal pronouns and their possessive forms possess the category of number:
Sg. vs. Pl.
I - we
it - they
he - they
she - they
my - our

Youalways plural, although singular Thou / ðaʊ /, which is used when referring to God.
In this case, most pronouns either completely change the word form or imply a certain number by analogy with the Russian language:

every - each (sg.)
all - all (pl.)

A special case of plural form changes occurs in reflexive and demonstrative pronouns.

Reflexive pronouns contain the word morpheme -self, which in the plural will take the form -selves:

myself - ourselves
yourself - yourselves
himself - theirselves

Demonstrative pronouns also acquire new characteristics in sound and spelling:

this - these
that - those

We wish you intensive and interesting practice and success!

Victoria Tetkina

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The plural of nouns in the English language is a simple topic, however, there are some nuances here that you need to pay attention to. Let's thoroughly analyze all the rules for the formation of the plural in English.

Special cases of plural formation

In English, there are nouns that form the plural without ending -s, as they change their root vowel:

Nouns Used Only in the Singular

There are a number of nouns that are used exclusively in the singular - these are uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns include:

Names of substances and materials:

Silver - Silver
Air - air, atmosphere
Iron - iron (element), etc.

Some products:

Salt - salt
Sugar - sugar, etc.

Abstract concepts:

Love - love
Bitterness - bitterness

Names of diseases:

Chickenpox - Chickenpox
Mumps - Mumps
Rabies - versicolor
Rickets - Rickets

Collective nouns:

Furniture - furniture
Luggage - luggage
rubbish - trash
fruit - fruit, fruit, etc.

Pay attention to the word fruit.

As a rule, the plural matches the only one: fruit - fruit (fruit-fruit). However, the plural fruits is used to denote different types of fruits.)

On the table there are apples, plums and other fruits.

On the table are apples, plums and other fruits.

Languages: Chinese, French, English, Spanish, etc.

Please note that the following nouns are also not plural.

Advice, information, progress, knowledge, weather

These nouns are used only in the singular.

She gave me some good advice. “She gave me some good advice.”

They have very little information on this subject. - They have very little information on this issue.

Her knowledge of Italian is poor. - She has a poor knowledge of the Italian language.

An exception:

Persistent expression Inallweathers - In any weather

Nouns money (money) and hair (hair) is always used in the singular.

Mu money is on the table. - My money is on the table.

She has beautiful brown hair. - She has beautiful brown hair.

Note:

Hair (meaning hair) can be used in plural form.

Mu mother has lots of gray hairs. “My mother has a lot of gray hair.”

Noun news (news, news) is always used in the singular.

What time is the News on the radio? - What time is the radio news release?

The names of sciences and sports ending in -ics (mathematics, physics, phonetics, gymnastics, athletics, etc.) are used in the singular, although they are plural.

Athletics is my favorite sport. - Athletics is my favorite sport.

Note:

The words politics meaning political views and statisticsmeaning statistical data are used with plural verbs.

Following sport games also have the singular form:

draughts, checkers - checkers
billiards - billiards

Nouns Used Only in the Plural

There are a number of nouns that are used in the English language only in the plural, although in Russian they are used in the singular:

Arms - weapons
Clothes - clothes
Contents - Content
Customs - Customs
Dregs - sediment
Embers - Hot Ash
Outskirts - Outskirts
Premises - premise, house (with adjacent buildings)
Proceeds - revenue
Stairs - stairs
Wages - salary, etc.

The following nouns that do not have the ending s / es are used exclusively in the plural

Police - Police
Cattle - Cattle
Poultry - Poultry
People - people
Clergy - Clergy

Name of many paired items used, as in Russian, only in the plural:

Scissors - scissors
Trousers - Pants
Spectacles - glasses
Scales - scales
Tongs - tongs,
Jeans - Jeans
Pajamas - Pajamas

But, if they are used with the expression a pair of, then the verb and other determinants are put in the singular:

I need a new pair of trousers - I need new trousers (a new pair of trousers).

Special Nouns

It is necessary to separately specify some cases of the formation of the plural of English nouns:

Noun penny (penny) has two plural forms:

Penny - reance (when it comes to cash)
Penny - pennies (when separate coins are meant)

It costs ten pence. - It costs 10 pence.

Pennies are made of bronze. - Pence (i.e. coins in one penny) are made of bronze.

Nouns export and import used in the plural form of exports, imports, when it comes to the quantity or value of exported or imported goods:

Poland exports to the Ukraine have greatly increased. - Polish exports to Ukraine, as well as Polish imports from this country, increased significantly.

When referring to the export or import process, the singular forms export and import are used:

That company is engaged in the export and import. - This company is engaged in export and import.

Some collective nouns can be used with verbs in the singular or in the plural, depending on the shade of meaning.

With plural verbs, such nouns will be used if all members of a given group of people or structure are meant and a statement can be fully attributed to each member of the group.

In the singular - if the group is considered as a whole.

These nouns are:

Army - army
Audience - Public
Choir - choir
Crew - team
Crowd - crowd
Family - family
Government - government
Public - public, society
Staff - staff
Team - team

Our team is the best. - Our team is the best.

The team discuss strategy before every game. - The team discusses the strategy before each game.

With countries in the plural, the verb and other determinants are always used in the singular.

The United States is located in North America.

When it comes about the amount of money, time period, distance, etc.considered as a whole, the plural nouns are used with the singular verb.

Three thousand pounds was too much to lose in a casino. - It was too much to lose three thousand pounds in a casino.

Note:

We also use the verb and other determinants in the singular when we consider two any parts as one, when they are connected and:

Fish and chips. Fish and Chips (One Dish) Fish and chips is very tasty. Fish and chips are very tasty.

"War and Peace" is the longest book I’ve ever read. “War and Peace” is the longest work I have ever read.

In expressions

a two-week holiday -two week vacation
a three-year-old boy - three year old boy

where quantitative numerals + noun are components of a compound adjective, they do not form the plural.

A dozen dozen, a score - twenty, a hundred - one hundred, a thousand - one thousand, a - million million, when they face a numeral they have the same form for the singular and plural

I have three dozen eggs.

When the numeral is absent, then the plural is formed according to the general rule.

Pack the pens in dozens, please. “Pack dozens of pens, please.”

Hundreds of students came here. - Hundreds of students came here.

I hope you have learned all the rules for the formation of the plural, as well as special cases of the use of numbers in the English language.

You can test yourself in the rules of the formation of the plural by completing these

Most languages \u200b\u200bare characterized by the separation of things by their number. But the designation of each specific number is a much rarer case, found only in a pair of languages. The most common variant is one form of a noun for an object in a single copy, and the other, to designate several up to infinity.

It is necessary to learn this part of the grammar, since the designation of a quantitative parameter is the daily need for speech. For English, there are general rules, albeit with a sufficient number of exceptions.

Plural (plural)

Almost every noun in English can be converted to the plural. Exceptions to this rule will be discussed below.

First, you need to explain the general concept:

The most common plural ending form in English is letter "s» . It is added to the end of the word, thus, without changing its base. This can be read in two different ways, depending on the ending letter:
If the word ends in a vowel or voiced consonant, the sound will be pronounced, like [z]. As an example, you can use such words - shoe-shoes, hen-hens, etc.
In the case where the ending consists of a dull consonant, the phoneme will be pronounced as [s]. An example is bat-bats, cat-cats, etc.
Also, when the end of a word is whistling or even hissing sounds, the added plural ending will look like “es”. The pronunciation here in any case depends on the combination of letters, so that everything will sound phonetically. There are quite a few examples of such endings - fox-foxes, class-classes, leash-leashes, bass-basses, etc.
A separate plural ending form for nouns will be in words with the letter “y” at the end. True, here everything works only for those words where a consonant is standing in front of it. The ending itself will look like "y" replaced by "i", as well as "es". That is, everything will look like sky-skies, butterfly-butterflies, etc.
Exceptions to this rule are proper nouns and compound nouns. The latter will be discussed separately, but as an example of the former one can cite such pairs as Germany-Germanys, Gatsby-Gatsbys, etc.
When the letter “y” at the end of a word is before a vowel, the general rule works, which means that the sound "s" is simply added. Everything will sound in the end, like day-days, bay-bays, etc.
For nouns that end with the letter “o”, you should add the ending “es” already familiar to you. It will look, for example - potato-potatoes, hero-heroes, etc.
There are almost two dozen exceptions here - bamboo, kangaroo, studio, zoo, Filipino, kilo, photo, piano, dynamo, tobacco, folio, tango, concerto, embryo, pro, solo, Eskimo, radio. In these cases, use the usual ending for multiple nouns.
There is a separate rule for words ending with a letter « f». In this case, there will also be a substitution after the phonetic change. For example, as in the words thief-thieves, half-halves, wife-wives, etc.
There are exceptions to this rule. Words like proof, chief, safe, cliff, gulf, reef. For the above, the usual plural rule will work, which means you just need to add the letter “s”

Plural Exceptions

English has been developing for centuries, and the forms of constructing grammatical constructions have changed. Some are still used in modern speech.

You need to remember examples like:

In addition, some words borrowed from other languages \u200b\u200bhave retained their original grammar, and therefore differ from the rules adopted in English.

Examples here are pairs such as:

Basis-bases;
Crisis-crises;
Phenomenon-phenomena;
Stimulus-stimuli;
Datum-data;
Formula Formula
Index-indices;
Bureau-bureaux.

A couple of the above words adapted to the existing rules. You can use them both in that and in another form. For example, formulas and formulae, or focuses and foci.

Plural in compound nouns

Nouns Used Only in the Plural

Paired items that simply cannot be used in the singular - scissors, pants, trousers, scales, etc.
Several geographical names - the Netherlands, the East Indies, etc.

In English, there are forms other than the Russian language that you just need to memorize as exceptions - for example, wages (salary), clothes (clothes), riches (wealth), contents (content), etc.

An interesting thing happens with the word people. If the term “people” is so designated, then the singular does not exist. But now, when you call it “people”, the plural form takes place, and it sounds like peoples.

Nouns Used Only in the Singular

Things that can not be calculated in English have only this form. For example, gold, silver, oil, music, the Thames, etc.
There are nouns that have a plural form, but in use along with numbers are put only in the singular. These include dozen, couple, score, stone, head (as a livestock head).
Some words have only a plural form grammatically, but are used exclusively in the singular. This may also include the names of certain sciences, ending in ics. Examples include news, barracks, works (when a plant is meant), physics, mathematics, etc.
The words money, hair are consumed only in the singular.

Single and Plural Nouns

Some words in the English language have the same form to denote both of these grammatical forms.

{!LANG-31d9a6c7c7b52a835a4a63300ae7a98e!}

{!LANG-71f217888489a5fc28d7d2eca3f7ac76!}
{!LANG-db23b4fe2367af09d899ebb3caf4d046!}
{!LANG-dfc2d295a3fb3c1626144f5016a3f661!}
{!LANG-4130251c280e304b69acc3c58e113435!}
{!LANG-dba09e260d41a3672ba399c055c40a00!}
{!LANG-2e5772711d2fbd9839be113174ec21e5!}