Singular & plural
Regular and irregular plurals, and tricky uncountables.
The rules
- "People" is the everyday plural of "person". "Persons" appears only in legal texts.
- "Advice" is uncountable, no plural, no "an". Use "some advice" or "a piece of advice".
- "Child" has the irregular plural "children", no -s needed.
- "News" looks plural but is uncountable and takes a singular verb: "the news is".
- "Furniture" is uncountable, so it pairs with "much", not "many".
- "Clothes" (garments) is always plural. "Cloths" are pieces of fabric.
Examples
- There are three people waiting outside.
- Can you give me some advice?
- The children are playing in the garden.
- The news is good today.
- I don't have much furniture.
- I need to buy new clothes for the winter.
Quick check
Pick an answer to see the rule behind it.
1.There are three _____ waiting outside.
2.Which sentence is correct?
3.The _____ are playing in the garden.
4.Which sentence is correct?
5.I need to buy new _____ for the winter.