The number of the students present is small.
f) The expression the majority of … , the minority of … can be used with both a singular and plural verb.
5. The number of the predicate can depend on the lexical meaning of the subject.
a) Some collective nouns, though singular in form, always have a plural predicate: police, cattle, livestock, poultry, vermin, infantry, clergy, gentry, jury, memorabilia These are the so-called “nouns of multitude”
I don’t know what the police are doing.
b) Some collective nouns, though singular in form, can be used in the plural or in the singular depending on their meaning (the idea of oneness or plurality): family, committee, board, army, chorus, band, corps de ballet, part, team, squad, crew, crowd, orchestra, cast, group, judiciary, navy, intelligentsia, think tank, fair sex, coterie, The General Assembly, government, public, couple, pair, folk, the KGB, etc.
The family were sitting round the table. (considered separately)
My family is small. (considered as a whole)
c) The words data, media, although plural in their Latin forms, are now coming to be used as uncountable nouns. Some people still do not like this uncountable use of the words.
d) Names of sports teams in British English are used in the plural.
Chester City were relegated from Division 3 in 2000.
England are playing tomorrow.
e) Subjects expressed by invariable singular nouns ending in –s have a singular verb: news, measles, mumps, rabies, billiards, dominoes.
f) Nouns in –ics which are names if sciences and other abstract notions have a singular agreement when used in their abstract sense, but may have a plural predicate when denoting qualities, practical applications, different activities, etc.
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