2. Basic Rule:
A singular subject
requires a singular verb
and a plural subject
requires plural verb.
3. Examples:
1. The coffee is still hot even
though it was brewed half an hour
ago.
2. The coffee pots are all full now;
you may start serving our guests.
4. While the plural of most
nouns are formed by
adding -s or -es, some
nouns have irregular
plural forms.
5. SINGULAR FORM USED FOR BOTH SINGULAR AND
PLURAL FORMS
SINGULAR PLURAL
1. aircraft aircraft
2. deer deer
3. fish
*fish (referring to only one
kind of fish)
*fishes (referring to more
than one fish species)
4. salmon salmon
6. SINGULAR FORM USED FOR BOTH
SINGULAR AND PLURAL FORMS
SINGULAR PLURAL
5. series series
6. sheep sheep
7. shrimp shrimp
8. species species
7. WORDS BORROWED FROM LATIN
OR GREEK
SINGULAR PLURAL
1. alumna (female
graduates)
alumnae
2. alumnus (male
graduates)
alumni
3. analysis analyses
4. crisis crises
8. WORDS BORROWED FROM LATIN
OR GREEK
SINGULAR PLURAL
5. criterion criteria
6. curriculum curricula
7. datum data
8. erratum errata
9. fungus fungi
9. WORDS BORROWED FROM
LATIN OR GREEK
SINGULAR PLURAL
10. phenomenon phenomena
11. stimulus stimuli
12. syllabus syllabi
13. thesis theses
10. WORDS BORROWED FROM
LATIN OR GREEK
SINGULAR PLURAL
14. medium media
15. memorandum memoranda
16. oasis oases
17. parenthesis parentheses
11. For nouns with irregular plural
forms, the basic rule of subject-
verb agreement still applies, as in
the following examples:
1. The analyses are flawed.
2. The alumni are chipping in for
the reconstruction of their school's
damaged auditorium.
12. Some nouns are plural in form
(because they end in s) but are
actually singular in meaning.
Examples of such nouns include
news, measles, billiards, and
mumps. In such cases, the noun
takes singular verb.
13. Examples:
1. The news centers on the mass
protest brewing in Luneta.
2.Billiards is my favorite game.
14. Other nouns such as statistics,
mathematics, and economics are
also plural in form but can be
singular or plural in meaning
depending on how they are used.
15. Examples:
1. Statistics is easy in high school,
but it will become quite difficult in
college.
2. Statistics from National Statistical
Coordination Board show that one
in five Filipino women aged 15-49
has experienced physical violence
in 2013.
16. Some nouns such as binoculars,
clothes, eyeglasses, pants, shades
(sunglasses), scissors, trousers,
and tweezers are always plural in
form. They always take plural
verbs.
17. Examples:
1. My dark pinstriped pants were
bought from Manila.
2. Those scissors are used to cut
paper, not cloth.
3. The trousers I bought are locally
made.
18. Box the noun (used as subject in each
sentence) and then underline the
correct verb.
1. The mechanics of the ambahan
writing contest (require, requires) all
entries to be original and unpublished.
2. The criteria for judging (include,
includes) adherence to form and
relevance to the theme.
19. 3. Official statistics about the Mangyan
(is, are) difficult to obtain due to the
remoteness of certain areas.
4. A lecture series (is, are) to be held by
the university to discuss pre-Hispanic
literature to the public.
5. Selected alumni (has, have) been
invited by the university as guests
of honor.
20. 6. The new Philippine Literature
syllabus (incorporate,
incorporates) the ambahan
among other pre-Hispanic forms.
7. The theses that (tackle, tackles)
the ambahan as a cultural
artifact are now displayed in the
library.
21. 8. Several commercial aircraft
(fly, flies) to san Jose twice a
day.
9. Different coral species (is, are)
found in the waters of Apo Reef.
10. Mathematics (has, have)
always been my favorite.
