Adaanist Grammar Rule #9 | Latin and Greek Plurals
Rule #9: Some English words come from Latin or Greek, and their plural forms look different from regular English words. You must use the correct verb based on whether the word is singular or plural.
Shah Adaan Uzzaman
July 17, 2025
Rule #9: Some English words come from Latin or Greek, and their plural forms look different from regular English words. You must use the correct verb based on whether the word is singular or plural.
❌ Your data is accurate.
✅ Your data are accurate.
Following is a list of words that are important for your IBA exam:
Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
Datum | Data |
Criterion | Criteria |
Memorandum | Memoranda |
Phenomenon | Phenomena |
Medium | Media |
Analysis | Analyses |
Note: Some common words remain the same regardless of their number. In other words, there are words that remain the same for both singular and plural.
Examples: one deer, three deer; one species, two species, one aircraft, four aircraft, etc.
🧨Trap #9: Some words confuse students because they sound singular, but they are actually plural.
The criteria is clear. (Wrong!)
The criteria are clear. (Correct)
💥 Examples
Example #1
The media covering the scandal is / are reporting conflicting facts.
✅ Media is plural, so choose are.
Example #2
The memorandum outlining the policy changes was / were distributed to all departments.
✅ Memorandum is singular, so choose was.
Example #3
The analyses of last year’s financial data is / are almost complete.
✅ Analyses is plural, so choose are.
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