PLURALIA TANTUM*
Pluralia Tantum are nouns that do not have
a singular form. It sometimes may seem that they have, but the singular has
then quite a different meaning, or it is from a completely different word
class, so you cannot consider the singular and slural to be the same word. The
following table demonstrates you how the meaning can change with the change in
number. The list here is not exhaustive, but the most important differences in meaning are presented here.
1. arm (a body part) – arms (weapons)
2. ash (what is left when anything is burnt) – ashes (human remains)
3. brain (an organ) – brains (intelligence)
4. content (what is written or spoken about in a piece at writing, speech, etc) –
contents (the things contained in a box, place, etc)
5. custom (a traditional event) – customs (the government department which collects taxes on imported goods)
6. damage (harm done to something) – damages (monetary compensation)
7. experience (gaining knowledge or skill over a period) – experiences (activities/events one has done/lived through)
8. fund (a sum of money saved for a purpose) – funds (money)
9. gut (bowel) – guts (courage)
10. hair (the hairy part of the head) – hairs (fine strand growing from the skin)
11. humanity (mankind) – humanities (beaux arts)
12. look (a style; an expression) – looks (a person’s appearance)
13. manner (in way in which something is done) – manners (social behaviour; customs)
14. minute (60 seconds) – minutes (notes token as a record of a meeting)
15. pain (hurt) – pains (care)
16. relation (a connection between two or more things) – relations (members of the same family) – same meaning in the singular
17. scale (the relative size, extent, etc of something) – scales (a instrument for weighing)
18. spirit (a person's soul or mind; a magical creature) – spirits (a person's feelings; a strong alcoholic drink)
19. wood (the hard material the trees are made of) – woods (a small forest – same meaning in the singular)
*For C1 level students.
2. ash (what is left when anything is burnt) – ashes (human remains)
3. brain (an organ) – brains (intelligence)
4. content (what is written or spoken about in a piece at writing, speech, etc) –
contents (the things contained in a box, place, etc)
5. custom (a traditional event) – customs (the government department which collects taxes on imported goods)
6. damage (harm done to something) – damages (monetary compensation)
7. experience (gaining knowledge or skill over a period) – experiences (activities/events one has done/lived through)
8. fund (a sum of money saved for a purpose) – funds (money)
9. gut (bowel) – guts (courage)
10. hair (the hairy part of the head) – hairs (fine strand growing from the skin)
11. humanity (mankind) – humanities (beaux arts)
12. look (a style; an expression) – looks (a person’s appearance)
13. manner (in way in which something is done) – manners (social behaviour; customs)
14. minute (60 seconds) – minutes (notes token as a record of a meeting)
15. pain (hurt) – pains (care)
16. relation (a connection between two or more things) – relations (members of the same family) – same meaning in the singular
17. scale (the relative size, extent, etc of something) – scales (a instrument for weighing)
18. spirit (a person's soul or mind; a magical creature) – spirits (a person's feelings; a strong alcoholic drink)
19. wood (the hard material the trees are made of) – woods (a small forest – same meaning in the singular)
*For C1 level students.
Exercise 4
Pluralia Tantum
Quiz
Choose the correct item.
- He has a lot of … to complete before leaving.
- work
- works
- The stylist was trimming her customer's ….
- hair
- hairs
- We were all impressed with the … of his speech.
- content
- contents
- The magazine lost the court case and was ordered to pay … to the television celebrity.
- damages
- damage
- The group doesn't have sufficient … to finance the expedition.
- fund
- funds
- The … officer stopped us and asked if he could inspect our luggage.
- custom
- customs
- The cook weighed out the necessary ingredients on the ….
- scales
- scale
- They follow the … of exchanging chocolate eggs at Easter.
- custom
- customs
- Hopkins proved popular but the man of the … was De Niro.
- minute
- minutes
- The timber company received a shipment of ….
- wood
- woods