This post isn’t a writing lesson, exactly; more of a linguistic commentary.
Some words don’t have plurals, or they look like plurals but aren’t, or they look singular but can still be plural. I suspect this makes English a bit tricky for English as a second language folks.
- Look like plurals but aren’t: physics, measles, shingles (adult measles), loggerheads, trousers, scissors, forensics (see the comic)
- Look like plurals whether singular or plural: species, premises
- Look like singular whether singular or plural: fish, deer, moose
- Don’t have plurals: information, cosmos
- Always plural: krill, plankton
- Can go both ways: Pair of trousers, pair of scissors, fishes
The trick, of course, is to use the correct singular or plural verb.
I pulled these off the top of my head. Can you add any? Send a comment.