The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

Nouns which are always plural

Certain nouns only have plural forms:

These

scissors

are for cutting paper.

Your

clothes

are dirty.

Have you seen my

glasses

? I want to read the newspaper.

What kind of

goods

does your company produce?

The table of

contents

should not contain any pictures.

I ran up the

stairs

and tore the door open.

The police used

firearms

to disperse the crowd.

I live on the

outskirts

of the city.

Some of these nouns are often used with the expression a pair of, as they refer to things made up of two parts:

a pair of trousers

a pair of jeans

a pair of shoes

a pair of slippers

a pair of glasses

a pair of gloves

a pair of earrings

The nouns people (meaning more than one person) and police are always plural:

People

say that the

police

are investigating the case.

People can refer to a nation, religion or race, in which case it is considered as a singular noun and can be used in a singular or plural form:

They are

a welcoming and hospitable people

.

At college, he took a course on the history of the

peoples

of the British Isles.

Quotes:

Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses. - Alphonse Karr

People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them. - Epictetus

A city is a large community where people are lonesome together. - Herbert Prochnow