College Composition / Unit 4 CMP 0085 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Plural-Looking Singular Nouns
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The idea
Some nouns end in s but are usually singular in meaning, such as news, physics, measles, politics and statistics.
In practice
"The news was bad"; "Statistics fulfills a math requirement." When the word refers to a specific situation, it can be plural: "The economics of the plan are hard to grasp."
Where people slip
Decide by meaning, not by the final letter.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
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