What Are Plural Only Nouns Definition Rules and Examples
Words that are used to name something are known as nouns. As most things around us have both singular and plural forms, nouns do have both singular and plural forms. But, some nouns exist only in the plural form and not in the singular form. Such nouns are commonly called ‘plural only nouns.’ The singular form of plural only nouns does not exist.
Why Should We Learn About Nouns?
Grammar is always an indispensable and essential part of the language. We have to learn grammar properly so that we do not make mistakes while using the language, and our communicative skills will also improve. Moreover, it can help us to avoid mistakes while writing also. In that sense, nouns are always an essential part of the English language and name certain things or people.
Difference Between Singular Only Nouns and Plural Only Nouns
Generally, most nouns have both singular and plural forms. But, there are some cases of nouns used only in singular forms. Those types of nouns that are used only in singular forms are called only singular nouns. Such nouns are used only in singular form even if they end with –s at their end. The word ‘news’ is an example of the only singular nouns. Even though the word ends with –s, it is a singular only noun. Similar is the case of the word ‘Maths,’ which also ends with –s but is a singular noun.
Plural only nouns, on the other hand, are those nouns that only have their plural form and not singular. Nouns used only in the plural form include various examples like scissors, pants, etc. They cannot be converted into a single form and only have plural nouns, whatever their number.
Usage of Pronoun and Verbs
Whenever we use a plural noun in a sentence, we must always use a pronoun in its plural form only. When nouns are used only in plural form, the pronoun along with the sentence and verb also should be in plural. Consider an example: My clothes are dirty. I need to wash them.
Here, the word ‘clothes’ is the plural only noun. As the noun used here, ‘clothes’ is plural only noun, the pronouns used in the sentence are also in its plural form.
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Plural Only Nouns having Two Parts
We can understand plural nouns having two parts with an example to understand it effectively. Consider the plural- only noun, scissors, and pants. Considering the example of scissors, we know that it always has two parts or two legs of the scissors. So that we would always call these scissors and not scissors. Similar is the case of ‘pants’ too. As it has two parts or two legs, it is also considered to be plural. As they are found in two parts, we can use ‘a pair of’ to quantify them to understand how much quantity is there.
Examples
I lost my goggles. Have you seen them?
She bought a new pair of trousers.
My pants are not appropriately stitched.
Where are my shorts?
Can I get a pair of socks?
Types of Plural Only Nouns
Plural only nouns can be broadly classified into three types:
Certain articles or clothing.
Certain tools or instruments.
Other types.
Certain Articles of Clothing
Some examples are:
Trousers
Pajamas
Tights
Shorts
Knickers
Pants
All the clothing items given as examples have two parts.
I like your trousers is the correct usage whereas I want your trousers is a wrong statement.
‘Where are my shorts?’ is the correct usage, whereas ‘Where are my shorts?’ and ‘Where is my short’ are wrong.
Certain Tools or Instruments
Some examples are given below:
Binoculars
Glasses
Sunglasses
Scissors
Headphones
‘Can I borrow your sunglasses?’ is the correct usage, whereas ‘Can I borrow your earphone?’ is incorrect. Similarly, ‘Where did you buy your binoculars?’ is the correct usage, whereas ‘Where did you buy your binoculars?’ is the wrong question to be asked.
Other Types
Other types of plural-only nouns include personal belongings like glasses, scarves, etc., savings like money in your bank account, clothes, etc. There is no singular form for such nouns, and they are always considered to be plural.
Grammar is an essential part of the English language, and the English language being a worldwide language, we need to learn grammar to make our communication efficient and writing skills. Plural only nouns, being a topic coming under nouns, is very important for us. We should be aware of the plural only nouns and their usage so that we don’t mistake them.
FAQs on Nouns That Exist Only in Plural Form
1. What are plural-only nouns in English?
Plural-only nouns are nouns that exist only in the plural form and do not have a singular version. These nouns always take plural verbs and usually refer to items with two parts or collective structures.
- Examples: scissors, trousers, glasses, pants
- Correct usage: “The scissors are on the table.”
- They are also called pluralia tantum in grammar.
2. Why do some nouns only have a plural form?
Some nouns only have a plural form because they represent objects with two joined parts or concepts viewed as a whole in English. Historically, these items were treated as pairs.
- Physical pairs: trousers, scissors, binoculars
- Abstract or collective ideas: goods, thanks
- They always take a plural verb.
3. Do plural-only nouns take singular or plural verbs?
Plural-only nouns always take plural verbs in a sentence. Even though they may refer to one item, grammatically they are treated as plural.
- Correct: “My trousers are new.”
- Incorrect: “My trousers is new.”
- This rule applies to all plural-only nouns.
4. Can you give examples of plural-only nouns?
Yes, common plural-only nouns include words that are always used in the plural form. These nouns do not normally have a singular version.
- Clothing: jeans, shorts, trousers
- Tools: scissors, pliers, tongs
- Other nouns: glasses, binoculars, thanks
5. How do you refer to a single item of a plural-only noun?
To refer to one item, use the structure “a pair of” before the plural-only noun. This makes the subject grammatically singular.
- Example: “A pair of scissors is on the desk.”
- Example: “A pair of jeans costs $40.”
- The verb agrees with pair, not the plural noun.
6. What is the difference between plural-only nouns and regular plural nouns?
The difference is that plural-only nouns have no singular form, while regular plural nouns do. Regular nouns can appear in both singular and plural forms.
- Regular noun: book / books
- Plural-only noun: scissors (no singular “scissor” in common use)
- Plural-only nouns always take plural agreement.
7. Are “clothes” and “thanks” plural-only nouns?
Yes, both clothes and thanks are plural-only nouns in English. They are always used with plural verbs.
- Correct: “Her clothes are clean.”
- Correct: “Many thanks are given.”
- There is no commonly used singular form like “a clothe” or “a thank.”
8. Is “news” a plural-only noun?
No, news is not a plural-only noun; it is a singular uncountable noun even though it ends in -s. It always takes a singular verb.
- Correct: “The news is surprising.”
- This differs from plural-only nouns like scissors, which take plural verbs.
9. What are common mistakes with plural-only nouns?
A common mistake is using a singular verb with a plural-only noun or trying to create a singular form. These errors affect subject-verb agreement.
- Incorrect: “My jeans is tight.”
- Correct: “My jeans are tight.”
- Use “a pair of” if you need a singular construction.
10. What is the grammatical term for nouns that only appear in the plural?
The grammatical term for nouns that only appear in the plural form is pluralia tantum. This Latin term means “plural only.”
- Examples: scissors, trousers, goods
- They require plural verb agreement.
- They are an important topic in English grammar and noun classification.
