Singular subjects require singular verbs and plural subjects require plural verbs… except when they don’t.
Category Archives: Plurals
The Netherlands
Um… surely not. The Dutch don’t make mistakes when referring to their own country, do they? It turns out to be a surprisingly tricky one.
Data
A singular noun. Yes, the origin of the word is the Latin plural of datum, but that’s not the point. Languages are dynamic and changing; if you don’t go with the flow, it can sound hypercorrect.
19th and 20th centuries
The word “and” creates a plural in English – in this example, you’re talking about more than one century, after all.
Advanced Dunglish 