Nouns that are Only Singular in English

Nouns That are Only Singular in English (and How to Use Them Correctly)

Most English nouns have two forms: 

one book → two books

one idea → many ideas

So far, so good.

But English likes to be… creative. 😄 Some nouns do not normally have a plural form at all. They are used only in the singular and must be used with singular verbs and singular determiners.

Let’s look at the three main groups of nouns that are usually only singular and learn how to use them naturally and correctly.

Names of people, places, and unique things

This group includes:

• Names of people: Peter, Bernard, Johnson
• Place names: Versailles, Brussels, Mont Blanc, Oxford Street
• Special times and events: Christmas, Easter, Saturday

These are normally singular, because they refer to one unique person, place, or event:

• Christmas is my favourite time of the year.
• Bernard is my best friend.
• Oxford Street is always full of people.
• Versailles is a famous palace in France.
• Mont Blanc is not as high as Mount Everest.

When can these become plural?

Sometimes, we intentionally use them in a “countable” way:

• We never work on Sundays.
• The Johnsons are coming for lunch.
• All those coffees you’ve had today can’t be good for you.
• I thought all my Christmases had come at once.
• Look how many chocolates there are on the shelf.

So the rule is – they are normally singular, but can become plural when we change the meaning.

Most uncountable nouns

Many nouns in English are uncountable and therefore do not have a plural form.

Common examples:

• water, weather, advice, furniture, hair
• luggage, equipment, jewellery, information, technology

Some of these are countable in other languages, so this is a very common source of mistakes.

Examples:

• The water is too cold today.
• We haven’t had such beautiful weather for a long time.
• You gave me very good advice.
• Her hair is bright orange with green and violet streaks.
• Modern technology is changing our lives.
• That furniture looks fantastic.
• Don’t leave your luggage
• Do they really need all that equipment?
• The jewellery was kept in a hotel safe.

❌ We do NOT say: advices, furnitures, hairs, luggages, equipments.

If you want to count them, say: a piece of advice, an item of furniture, a piece of equipment, a piece of luggage.

Some nouns that end in -S but are singular

Some nouns look plural, but are actually singular and take singular verbs:

• politics, physics, maths, economics
• measles
• news
• crossroads (in this meaning)
• some place and company names: Brussels, Emirates

Examples:

• Politics is not my cup of tea.
• Physics is my favourite subject.
• Maths was always difficult for me at school.
• Measles is a serious illness.
• The news is very depressing today.
• Emirates is charging for seat selection.
• Brussels is the capital of Belgium.
• Turn left at the next crossroads.

Even though they end in -s, they behave like singular nouns.

Quick summary

Some nouns in English are normally only singular, take singular verbs and do not usually have a plural form.

These include:

• Names of unique people and places
• Most uncountable nouns
• Some nouns ending in -s (politics, news, maths, etc.)

Common mistakes

❌ The furniture are expensive.

✅ The furniture is expensive.

❌ Physics are difficult.

✅ Physics is difficult.

❌ She gave me many advices.

✅ She gave me a lot of advice.

Related lesson

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👉 Nouns That Are Always Plural in English

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