Quick Answer The word trousers is always plural. You cannot say “a trouser.” Say “a pair of trousers” for one and “pairs of trousers” for more than one. Always use a plural verb: “My trousers are blue.” Trousers, Jeans, Shorts — See the Pattern Some clothes are always plural in English. Read these sentences: Did…
Quick Answer The plural of tomato is tomatoes. The spelling “tomatos” is not correct. One: I need one tomato for the sandwich. More than one: We bought six tomatoes at the shop. Tomato Becomes Tomatoes — See the Pattern Look at these words. Can you see what happens? Did you see the pattern? These words…
Quick Answer The plural of thief is thieves. The word “thiefs” is not correct in English. One: The police caught the thief. More than one: The police caught three thieves. Thief Becomes Thieves — See the Pattern Look at these words. Can you see what happens? Did you see the pattern? The -f at the…
Quick Answer The plural of synthesis is syntheses. The word “synthesises” is not correct in English. One: The teacher showed us a synthesis of two ideas. More than one: The book has many syntheses of old and new theories. Synthesis Becomes Syntheses — See the Pattern Look at these words. Can you see what happens…
Quick Answer The plural of synopsis is synopses. You change the -is ending to -es. One synopsis, two synopses. Synopsis and Synopses — See the Pattern The word synopsis comes from Greek. That is why the plural does not follow the normal English rule. Instead of adding -s or -es, you change the ending. Look…
The English language contains a plethora of nouns that maintain the same form whether they’re in the singular or plural. One such word that often causes confusion is “swine.” Frequently used to refer to a pig, the noun “swine” traces its origins from Old English and has peculiar properties in its usage, especially in its…
When discussing the grammatical number of certain items in the English language, we sometimes encounter terms that exist only in plural form. Take, for instance, the word ‘suspenders.’ These articles of clothing, typically used to hold up trousers, are referred to in the plural, leading to some confusion about whether they might also have a…
Quick Answer The plural of status is statuses. Just add -es to the end. This is the most common and natural form in everyday English. Status and Statuses — See the Pattern The word status comes from Latin. Some people think the plural should follow Latin rules, but in English we simply add -es. Look…
Quick Answer The plural of stigma is stigmas. You just add -s to the end. There is also an old form, stigmata, but you almost never need it in everyday English. One: There is a stigma around mental health. More than one: There are many stigmas around mental health. First, What Does Stigma Mean? Before…
Quick Answer The plural of stratum is strata. It comes from Latin, so it follows the Latin rule: change -um to -a. One: The scientist found one stratum of rock. More than one: The scientist found three strata of rock. Stratum, Strata — See the Pattern A stratum means a layer — like a layer…
