The term "plural" does not apply to just nouns (e.g., cats, mice), it also applies to pronouns, determiners, and verbs. For example:
The plural personal pronouns are "we," "you," and "they." They contrast with the singular personal pronouns, which are "I," "you," "he," "she," and "it." (NB: The personal pronoun "you" can be both singular or plural. That's because you can say "you" to mean one person or several.)
Here are the personal pronouns in a table with their full names (plural pronouns shaded):
| Pronoun | Name |
|---|---|
| I | first person singular |
| You | second person singular |
| He / She / It | third person singular |
| We | first person plural |
| You | second person plural |
| They | third person plural |
The plural form of a verb is the form that fits with a plural subject. In this table, the plural verbs are shaded in gray.
| Pronoun | Name | Example Verb Past Tense | Example Verb Present Tense | Example Verb Future Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | first person singular | I ate | I eat | I will eat |
| You | second person singular | You ate | You eat | You will eat |
| He / She / It | third person singular | He ate | He eats | He will eat |
| We | first person plural | We ate | We eat | We will eat |
| You | second person plural | You ate | You eat | You will eat |
| They | third person plural | They ate | They eat | They will eat |
English is unusual because the singular and plural forms of verbs in each tense are identical. The only exception is the third-person-singular form in the present tense (shown in red). This is why English is easier to learn than many other languages. In most other languages, there would be a different spelling in every single box in the table above. Read more about subject-verb agreement.
The demonstrative determiners (called demonstrative adjectives in traditional grammar) are "this," "that," "these," and "those."
The singular ones are "this" and "that." The plural ones are "these" and "those."
This is worth knowing because "these" and "those" must be paired with a plural word. In others, you cannot say:
This page was written by Craig Shrives.
