In PTE Academic, singular and plural nouns

In PTE Academic, singular and plural nouns 

Here’s a clear guide:

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1. Definition

Singular Noun

A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea.

Examples:

• one student
• a book
• the city
• an idea

Plural Noun

A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.

Examples:

• two students
• many books
• several cities
• different ideas

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2. Uses of Singular and Plural Nouns

A. Singular Nouns Are Used:

1. With a/an or one
• She has a car.
• I need one pen.
2. With singular verbs (is, was, has, does)
• The boy is playing.
• A dog was barking.
3. For uncountable nouns (no plural form)
• Water is essential.
• Information is useful.
4. In academic writing for general statements
• The student must submit the assignment. (referring to a typical student)

B. Plural Nouns Are Used:

1. For more than one countable noun
• Books are expensive.
• Cities are growing.
2. With plural verbs (are, were, have, do)
• The students are studying.
• Many people were waiting.
3. With numbers and quantifiers
• Three cars
• Many problems
• A few ideas
4. For certain nouns that are always plural
• Scissors, trousers, glasses (eyewear), clothes
• The scissors are on the table.
5. In academic writing for general categories
• Researchers have found…
• Governments should invest…

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3. Rules for Forming Plurals

Rule	Singular	Plural
Add -s	cat	cats
Add -es after s, sh, ch, x, z	bus	buses
Change -y to -ies (consonant + y)	city	cities
Add -s to vowel + y	boy	boys
Change -f/-fe to -ves	knife	knives
Irregular forms	man	men
Irregular forms	child	children
Irregular forms	foot	feet
Same form	sheep	sheep
Same form	deer	deer

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4. Examples in PTE Context

Fill in the Blanks (Reading)

The researchers conducted several experiments to test their hypotheses.

• researchers = plural
• experiments = plural
• hypotheses = plural (irregular)

Write Essay (Writing)

Governments should invest in technologies that benefit citizens.

• governments, technologies, citizens = plural

Summarize Written Text

The article discusses how companies use data to improve services.

• article = singular
• companies, services = plural
• data = plural/uncountable (depends on context)

Describe Image (Speaking)

The chart shows the numbers of students in different countries.

• chart = singular
• numbers, students, countries = plural

·         50 more examples of singular and plural nouns used in various real-life and PTE-style situations.

·        

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1. Education / Academic Situations

	Singular	Plural	Example Sentence
1	student	students	The student is preparing for the PTE exam.
2	teacher	teachers	The teachers are marking the assignments.
3	university	universities	Many universities offer online courses.
4	library	libraries	The library closes at 8 PM.
5	assignment	assignments	She submitted all her assignments on time.
6	lecture	lectures	The lecture was very informative.
7	exam	exams	The exams will start next week.
8	thesis	theses	The thesis was well-researched.
9	hypothesis	hypotheses	The scientist tested three hypotheses.
10	curriculum	curricula	The curriculum has been updated.

·        

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·         2. Workplace / Business Situations

	Singular	Plural	Example Sentence
11	employee	employees	The employee received a bonus.
12	manager	managers	The managers attended the meeting.
13	company	companies	Many companies are hiring now.
14	meeting	meetings	The meeting starts at 9 AM.
15	report	reports	She wrote several reports last month.
16	client	clients	The client was satisfied with the service.
17	project	projects	The projects are behind schedule.
18	deadline	deadlines	We must meet all deadlines.
19	budget	budgets	The budget was approved.
20	strategy	strategies	The team discussed new strategies.

·        

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·         3. Daily Life / Home Situations

	Singular	Plural	Example Sentence
21	chair	chairs	The chair is broken.
22	table	tables	The tables are cleaned every day.
23	knife	knives	The knife is sharp.
24	dish	dishes	The dishes are in the sink.
25	child	children	The child is playing outside.
26	toy	toys	The toys are scattered on the floor.
27	family	families	The family is going on vacation.
28	neighbor	neighbors	The neighbors are very friendly.
29	key	keys	I lost my keys again.
30	grocery	groceries	She bought groceries for the week.

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4. Travel / Transportation Situations

	Singular	Plural	Example Sentence
31	bus	buses	The bus arrives at 7 AM.
32	train	trains	The trains are often delayed.
33	flight	flights	The flight was cancelled.
34	passenger	passengers	The passengers boarded the plane.
35	ticket	tickets	I bought two tickets.
36	luggage	luggage	My luggage is heavy. (uncountable)
37	city	cities	The city is crowded.
38	country	countries	She has visited many countries.
39	tourist	tourists	The tourists took many photos.
40	destination	destinations	Paris is a popular destination.

·        

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·         5. Science / Nature / General Situations

	Singular	Plural	Example Sentence
41	animal	animals	The animal is endangered.
42	species	species	Several species are extinct. (same form)
43	leaf	leaves	The leaves fall in autumn.
44	mouse	mice	The mice are in the laboratory.
45	tooth	teeth	The teeth need cleaning.
46	foot	feet	The feet were sore after the hike.
47	phenomenon	phenomena	The phenomena were observed carefully.
48	crisis	crises	The crises affected the economy.
49	analysis	analyses	The analyses were conducted by experts.
50	criterion	criteria	The criteria for selection are strict.

·        

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·         6. Special Categories

·         A. Always Plural Nouns

	Plural		Example
scissors		The scissors are sharp.
trousers		The trousers are too long.
clothes		The clothes are drying.
glasses		The glasses are on the table.

·         B. Uncountable Nouns (No Plural)

Noun	Example
information	The information is useful.
advice	She gave me good advice.
furniture	The furniture is new.
equipment	The equipment is expensive.
research	The research is ongoing.

·         C. Irregular Plurals

Singular	Plural
man	men
woman	women
child	children
foot	feet
tooth	teeth
mouse	mice
goose	geese
sheep	sheep
deer	deer
fish	fish

 

60 PTE-style Fill in the Blanks questions. Each has options in brackets, and answers with short reasons are at the end.

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Questions 1–60

1. The student ___ (is / are) preparing for the exam.

2. Many students ___ (was / were) absent yesterday.

3. The information ___ (is / are) very useful.

4. She gave me two ___ (advice / pieces of advice).

5. The children ___ (is / are) playing outside.

6. A child ___ (need / needs) proper care.

7. The news ___ (is / are) shocking.

8. The police ___ (is / are) investigating the case.

9. Three mice ___ (was / were) caught in the trap.

10. The scissors ___ (is / are) on the table.

11. My trousers ___ (is / are) too long.

12. The furniture ___ (is / are) new.

13. The equipment ___ (is / are) expensive.

14. Many companies ___ (is / are) hiring now.

15. The company ___ (has / have) opened a new branch.

16. Several species ___ (is / are) endangered.

17. The criteria ___ (is / are) very strict.

18. One criterion ___ (is / are) enough for selection.

19. The data ___ (show / shows) a clear trend.

20. The analyses ___ (was / were) conducted by experts.

21. A phenomenon ___ (was / were) observed.

22. Many phenomena ___ (was / were) recorded.

23. The leaves ___ (fall / falls) in autumn.

24. A leaf ___ (fall / falls) from the tree.

25. My teeth ___ (need / needs) cleaning.

26. One tooth ___ (is / are) broken.

27. Her feet ___ (was / were) sore after the hike.

28. One foot ___ (was / were) injured.

29. The men ___ (is / are) working hard.

30. A man ___ (work / works) here.

31. The women ___ (has / have) arrived.

32. A woman ___ (is / are) waiting outside.

33. The geese ___ (is / are) flying south.

34. A goose ___ (is / are) swimming.

35. The sheep ___ (is / are) grazing in the field.

36. Many deer ___ (was / were) seen in the forest.

37. The research ___ (is / are) ongoing.

38. The researches ___ (is / are) difficult to conduct. (Note: rare usage)

39. The clothes ___ (is / are) drying.

40. The glasses ___ (is / are) on the shelf.

41. The government ___ (should / shoulds) invest in education.

42. Many governments ___ (has / have) adopted new policies.

43. The professor gave ___ (feedback / feedbacks) on all assignments.

44. The students submitted their ___ (homework / homeworks).

45. The teacher gave us three ___ (assignment / assignments).

46. The buses ___ (arrives / arrive) every ten minutes.

47. The bus ___ (arrives / arrive) at 7 AM.

48. The trains ___ (is / are) often delayed.

49. A train ___ (is / are) approaching the station.

50. The passengers ___ (was / were) waiting for the flight.

51. The tickets ___ (was / were) sold out.

52. My luggage ___ (is / are) heavy.

53. She bought two ___ (luggage / pieces of luggage).

54. The cities ___ (is / are) becoming overcrowded.

55. The city ___ (has / have) a new mayor.

56. The countries ___ (has / have) signed the agreement.

57. The tourists ___ (was / were) taking photos.

58. The scissors ___ (is / are) sharp.

59. The mice ___ (is / are) in the laboratory.

60. The criteria for the scholarship ___ (is / are) very strict.

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Answers with Short Reasons

#	Answer	Reason
1	is	Singular subject "student" takes singular verb.
2	were	Plural subject "students" takes plural verb.
3	is	"Information" is uncountable → singular verb.
4	pieces of advice	"Advice" is uncountable; use "pieces of".
5	are	"Children" is plural → plural verb.
6	needs	Singular subject "child" takes singular verb.
7	is	"News" is singular despite ending in -s.
8	are	"Police" is always plural.
9	were	"Mice" is plural → plural verb.
10	are	"Scissors" is always plural.
11	are	"Trousers" is always plural.
12	is	"Furniture" is uncountable → singular verb.
13	is	"Equipment" is uncountable → singular verb.
14	are	Plural subject "companies" takes plural verb.
15	has	Singular subject "company" takes singular verb.
16	are	Plural subject "species" takes plural verb.
17	are	"Criteria" is plural of "criterion".
18	is	"Criterion" is singular → singular verb.
19	show	"Data" is plural in academic usage → plural verb.
20	were	"Analyses" is plural → plural verb.
21	was	"Phenomenon" is singular → singular verb.
22	were	"Phenomena" is plural → plural verb.
23	fall	Plural subject "leaves" takes plural verb.
24	falls	Singular subject "leaf" takes singular verb.
25	need	"Teeth" is plural → plural verb.
26	is	"Tooth" is singular → singular verb.
27	were	"Feet" is plural → plural verb.
28	was	"Foot" is singular → singular verb.
29	are	"Men" is plural → plural verb.
30	works	"Man" is singular → singular verb.
31	have	"Women" is plural → plural verb.
32	is	"Woman" is singular → singular verb.
33	are	"Geese" is plural → plural verb.
34	is	"Goose" is singular → singular verb.
35	is	"Sheep" has the same singular/plural form; here it has a singular sense.
36	were	"Deer" has the same form; here it has a plural sense → plural verb.
37	is	"Research" is uncountable → singular verb.
38	are	"Researches" (rare) is plural → plural verb.
39	are	"Clothes" is always plural.
40	are	"Glasses" (eyewear) is always plural.
41	should	Modal verbs do not change form.
42	have	Plural subject "governments" takes plural verb.
43	feedback	"Feedback" is uncountable → no plural -s.
44	homework	"Homework" is uncountable → no plural -s.
45	assignments	Countable noun → plural after "three".
46	arrive	Plural subject "buses" takes plural verb.
47	arrives	Singular subject "bus" takes singular verb.
48	are	Plural subject "trains" takes plural verb.
49	is	Singular subject "train" takes singular verb.
50	were	Plural subject "passengers" takes plural verb.
51	were	Plural subject "tickets" takes plural verb.
52	is	"Luggage" is uncountable → singular verb.
53	pieces of luggage	"Luggage" is uncountable; use "pieces of".
54	are	Plural subject "cities" takes plural verb.
55	has	Singular subject "city" takes singular verb.
56	have	Plural subject "countries" takes plural verb.
57	were	Plural subject "tourists" takes plural verb.
58	are	"Scissors" is always plural.
59	are	"Mice" is plural → plural verb.
60	are	"Criteria" is plural → plural verb.

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Quick Revision Table

Category	Singular	Plural
Regular	cat	cats
-es	bus	buses
-ies	city	cities
Irregular	child	children
Same form	sheep	sheep
Always plural	scissors	scissors
Uncountable	information	information