Plural of nouns.

(50) Group B
I Choose the correct form of the verb – singular or plural. (10)
1. The pants you bought me don’t /doesn’t fit me.
2. Inspectors agree that the evidence is/ are overwhelming.
3. The management was/ were considering implementing the new strategy.
4. A crowd of hangers-on was/ were pursuing the Princess.
5. Modern linguistics is/ are said to have begun at the start of the 20th century.
6. Master and Margarita is/ are my favourite book.
7. The news is/ are very bad. Do you want to hear it/ them?
8. How does/ do the United Nations work?
9. Darts is/ are a good game if you are bored and just want to have fun.
10. Average earnings for skilled workers is/are rising.

II Insert the correct word from the list. (10)

spectacle, spectacles; scale/ scales; trunk, trunks; look, looks; damage, damages; regard, regards; fund/ funds; wood/
woods; content/ contents; work/ works;
1. He bought his bathing trunks on sale.
2. We witnessed the extraordinary spectacle of an old lady climbing a tree to rescue her cat.
3. His good looks helped him get the job.
4. Send them my regards.
5. The storm did considerable damage to the crops.
6. The group doesn’t have sufficient funds to finance the expedition.
7. The cook weighed out the necessary ingredients on the scales.
8. The timber company received a consignment of wood.
9. We were all impressed with the content of his speech.
10. He has a lot of work to complete before leaving.

III Collective nouns. Write the appropriate collective noun. (10)

1. The boat had a glass bottom and we could see school/shoal of beautifully – coloured fish.
2. She was attacked by a swarm of bees and had to go to hospital.
3. I have rarely seen such an impressive sight as a herd of buffalo roaming over the plains.
4. Have you got a deck/pack of cards? I’ve learnt a new game.
5. Joe spends all day in the library but I don’t believe she does a stroke of work there.
6. It’s very stuffy here. I’m dying for a breath of fresh air.
7. Yesterday, the police arrested the infamous gang of thieves.
8. The donkey is the main means of transport on the island.
9. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew out puffs of smoke.
10. Customers are permitted to take up to six items/articles/pieces of clothing into the fitting room.

IV Write the singular or the plural form of the following nouns. (20)

1. Species - Species 8. codex – codices 15. bacterium - bacteria

2. person – people 9. Forget-me-not – forget-me- 16. genius - genii
3. formula - formulae nots 17. Editor-in-chief – editors-in-
4. Spacecraft - Spacecraft 10. opus - opera chief
5. hoof – hoofs/hooves 11. Fresco – frescoes/frescos 18. Passer-by – passers-by
6. Accommodation - 12. calf – calves 19. Alga - algae
Accommodation 13. Advice – Advice 20. mouse - mice
7. cactus – cactuses/cacti 14. hypothesis – hypotheses