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plural or singular

plural or singular

plural or singular

(OP)
Ii wonder whether there is a reasonable explanation for words such as mathematics, economics, physics, news, gymnastics, electronics, genetics, symbiosis, linguistics, synthesis, and many more, all ending with s, that always take singular verbs, while calisthenics, scissors, glasses, pants, take plural verbs

RE: plural or singular

For all -ics, I think that the implied phrase is "science or art of mathematics/economics/gymnastics etc", so science/art should take singular verb.

The words synthesis and symbiosis are in singular form, so they have to take singular verbs.

Here it says that calisthenics takes singular verb.

RE: plural or singular

... while the scissors, glasses and pants are traditionally supplied in pairs - hence the plural (noting that at least the [burning, magnifying...] glass also has a legitimate singular form).

A.

RE: plural or singular

Here's one from the world of rubber: the plural of latex can be either latexes or, better, latices.

forumtowers.com

RE: plural or singular

(OP)
There are various words ending with s, that can take both plural and singular verbs; for example, calisthenics, series, species, headquarters, crossroads.

RE: plural or singular

Possibly taken from French - they just add an s for plurals but don't pronounce them.

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