A Handy Guide to
Some nouns are plural in form, although the things
that they refer to can be thought of as single entities. Others can
be referred to as either single or plural entities. These are grouped
together as either binary or aggregate nouns. The following definitions
and lists are adapted from Greenbaum and Randolph (1990).
Binary Nouns | Aggregate
Nouns
Binary Nouns
Binary nouns refer to objects that can be thought of as
having two parts. Although the noun takes a plural form, the object
itself is a single entity.
Example: Joe always wears sunglasses because
he thinks that they make him look cool.
Often these nouns are referred to as a pair of
something. In this case, the verb form is singular:
Example: This pair of scissors isn't very sharp.
Most binary nouns can be grouped as 1) tools or instruments;
2) articles of clothing worn on the lower half of the body; or 3)
optical lenses.
| Sunglasses |
goggles |
scissors |
leggings |
pantyhose |
| binoculars |
forceps |
tweezers |
overalls |
shorts |
| glasses |
pliers |
jeans |
pants |
tights |
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Aggregate Nouns
Aggregate nouns are similar to collective nouns in that
they refer to single collections that are made up of similar individual
parts. For example, email and radio are both individual components
of communications. However, unlike collective nouns, aggregate
nouns usually use plural verb forms and have no singular forms. They
cannot be used with a or an.
Example: With the development of the Internet, communications
are being revolutionized at a dizzying speed.
Many aggregate nouns have plural forms, but many also
are not plural in form, though they use plural verb forms.
Example: The police are still looking for the
Olympic Park bomber.
Some aggregate nouns can use either singular or plural
verb forms:
Example: The data [is/are] inconclusive on
that point.
| Plural in Form |
Singular in Form |
| Communications |
cattle |
| arms |
clergy |
| data |
police |
| goods |
offspring |
| media |
people |
| outskirts |
poultry |
| remains |
vermin |
| troops |
intelligentsia |
| barracks |
majority |
| dregs |
swine |
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Brenda Sansom-Moorey
Georgia State University
Department of Applied Linguistics
TSPL 846
bsansom@emory.edu
1/27/97