Pimp my English | A closer look at singular and plural

By Anna Malczyk

This week, here’s a quick overview about matching up nouns and verbs, whether singular and plural.

Singular and plural
Always use a singular verb with a singular noun and a plural verb with a plural noun.
•    The student has submitted the assignment.
•    The students have submitted the assignment.

Count the number
Always make sure that you count the number of nouns you are talking about before you decide on a singular or plural verb.
•    The students and conveners (many + many = many, so plural)
•    The student and convener (one + one = two, so plural)
•    The student or the convener (one OR one, but not both at the same time = one, so singular)

Collective nouns
Collective nouns are those nouns that encompass a whole group of similar things (e.g. a flock or birds, a herd or horses or a school of fish). They are always singular because the noun is the first part (flock, herd, school) and the rest is just a description.
•    A flock of birds flies over my house every morning.

The same thing applies to institutions, companies and other collective groups.
•    The government is spending more money on education.
•    Telkom has installed the phone lines.

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