Summary
Noun agreement is a fundamental aspect of clear academic writing, yet certain English nouns—especially plural forms that appear singular and collective nouns referring to groups—create significant challenges for writers. These nouns often behave unpredictably and require careful attention in scholarly prose.
This guide explains how to handle plural nouns such as *data*, *media* and *criteria*, how to maintain consistent treatment of collective nouns in both British and American English and how to interpret meaning to choose the appropriate verb form. It also highlights subtle distinctions that affect clarity and academic precision.
Understanding these nuanced noun types helps scholars avoid agreement errors, maintain stylistic consistency and communicate complex information with professionalism and accuracy in research-based writing.
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A Guide to Challenging Plural and Collective Nouns in Scholarly Prose
Clear and accurate subject–verb agreement is essential for effective scholarly writing. Academic readers expect flawless grammar not only because it reflects linguistic competence but because it ensures clarity when interpreting complex research arguments. For the most part, English noun agreement follows predictable rules: singular nouns take singular verbs, and plural nouns take plural verbs. However, English contains a number of nouns—especially plural forms that look or feel singular, as well as collective nouns denoting groups—that behave inconsistently and often cause uncertainty for writers.
These challenging nouns appear frequently in academic, scientific and professional writing. A researcher reporting experimental outcomes must often describe data, criteria, media or phenomena. A social scientist might write about a team, a committee or a government. A business researcher may analyse a proportion or a number of participants. Each of these terms raises questions: should the verb be singular or plural? Should pronouns referring back to the noun be singular or plural? Does British usage differ from American usage? And how consistent must an author be?
This article explores these questions in depth, examining two categories of nouns especially prone to agreement problems: plural nouns that seem singular, and collective nouns referring to groups. Understanding how these forms operate allows academic authors to avoid common errors and produce clear, professional writing that meets disciplinary expectations.
1. Plural Nouns That Look Singular
Some English nouns retain Latin or Greek plural forms and therefore take plural verbs, even though many writers perceive them as singular because they refer to abstract concepts or complex bodies of material. Among the most frequently used in academic writing are data, media, criteria, phenomena, bacteria and stimuli.
Traditional grammar dictates that these nouns take plural verbs: “The data show a clear trend,” “The criteria were difficult to meet,” “The phenomena are well documented.” However, in modern usage—particularly in the sciences—data is increasingly treated as a mass noun that takes a singular verb, similar to “information.” Expressions such as “the data shows” or “the data is compelling” are now common, and many scientific journals explicitly permit this usage.
The shift toward singular data is not universal, and opinions differ across disciplines. Quantitative researchers often favour the plural form, whereas biomedical fields may lean toward the singular. Because both forms are now widely accepted, the most important rule is to remain consistent throughout a manuscript. Switching between “the data show” and “the data shows” confuses readers and appears careless.
Other plural nouns such as criteria and phenomena do not have accepted singular-verb usage. Writers should avoid treating them as singular. Instead, the singular forms criterion and phenomenon should be used when referring to a single item. Clarity improves immensely when authors select the appropriate singular or plural variant rather than forcing the plural into a singular structure.
2. Collective Nouns in Scholarly Writing
Collective nouns denote groups of people or things that may act as either unified wholes or as sets of individuals. Common examples include team, committee, staff, government, society, audience, group, faculty and pair. These nouns cause difficulty because English permits both singular and plural agreement depending on meaning, regional variety and authorial preference.
The key is determining whether the noun refers to a group acting collectively or to the individuals within it. When the emphasis is on unity, authors often use a singular verb: “The committee has reached a decision,” “The government is reviewing the policy.” When the emphasis is on individual members, a plural verb can be appropriate: “The committee have voiced different concerns,” “The staff are meeting with students.”
This flexibility means scholars must choose carefully to reflect intended meaning. The mistake arises not in selecting plural or singular but in combining them inconsistently. For example, “The society was founded in 1995; since then, they have grown rapidly” mixes a singular verb with a plural pronoun. A consistent form such as “it has grown” or “they have grown” is required.
3. British and American English Differences
Agreement with collective nouns is one area where British and American conventions diverge. American English tends to treat collective nouns as singular: “The team is winning,” “The audience is clapping,” “The staff is preparing the event.” By contrast, British English frequently uses plural verbs: “The team are winning,” “The audience are clapping,” “The staff are preparing the event.”
Neither pattern is inherently incorrect; both are accepted within their respective linguistic traditions. Problems arise when authors unintentionally combine the two systems, especially within formal writing. An academic paper written for a US journal should maintain American agreement, while a manuscript targeting a UK publisher should follow British norms. When the audience is international or guidelines do not specify, authors should choose one pattern and apply it throughout.
Some collective nouns behave differently depending on context. For example, couple and pair take plural verbs when referring to people (“The couple have purchased a new home”), but may take singular verbs when referring to objects (“A pair was found in the sample”). Selecting the correct form requires close attention to meaning and grammatical structure.
4. Quantifying Collective Nouns: Number, Proportion and Percentage
Certain abstract collective nouns—such as number, percentage, proportion and majority—appear frequently in academic writing, especially in quantitative fields. These nouns require special care because their agreement depends on whether they are preceded by a definite or indefinite article.
When preceded by the definite article (the), these nouns generally take a singular verb: “The proportion of respondents is increasing,” “The number of samples was limited.” In these cases, the focus is on the collective group as a unit. By contrast, when preceded by an indefinite article (a), the focus shifts to individual elements within the group, and plural verbs become appropriate: “A large proportion of respondents are choosing online services,” “A significant number of students were dissatisfied.”
Writers often overlook this distinction, leading to agreement errors that weaken clarity and distract reviewers. Careful editing ensures consistency and conveys quantitative information precisely.
5. Maintaining Consistency Across Long Documents
One of the most common problems in academic manuscripts is inconsistent agreement. A thesis chapter might refer to “the team is” while a later chapter refers to “the team are.” Similarly, an article may treat data as plural in the introduction but singular in the discussion. Such inconsistencies distract readers and suggest lapses in editorial rigour.
Maintaining consistency requires conscious decision-making early in the writing process. Authors should select their preferred conventions—based on journal guidelines, regional norms or disciplinary expectations—and apply them uniformly. When revising older writing, pay particular attention to sections written at different times; earlier work may reflect different stylistic habits that now require alignment with the manuscript’s overall approach.
Because long documents can obscure inconsistencies, professional proofreading provides a valuable safeguard. A trained proofreader can identify subtle errors in agreement, spot conflicting conventions and ensure that the manuscript adheres to a unified linguistic system.
6. Practical Strategies for Ensuring Correct Agreement
Achieving accurate agreement with challenging nouns involves more than memorising rules. It requires strategic reading and thoughtful revision. Reading sentences aloud often reveals mismatches that look acceptable on the page. Checking pronoun references ensures that singular nouns are not paired with plural pronouns or vice versa. When in doubt, rephrase: a sentence with awkward agreement can often be reconstructed in a clearer form.
Writers should also make use of authoritative dictionaries and style guides. Many provide explicit guidance on the treatment of nouns such as data or media. Journals often follow specific style guides (APA, Chicago, MLA, AMA), each with its own recommendations. Adhering to these guidelines increases the professionalism of your writing and smooths the path to publication.
Ultimately, careful editing and informed decision-making are the keys to mastering agreement with challenging nouns. These are small details but crucial ones: precise grammar enhances credibility, reinforces your argument and ensures readers focus on your ideas—not on unexpected inconsistencies.
Final Thoughts
Nouns such as data, criteria, team and proportion occupy an important role in academic writing but also present significant challenges in terms of subject–verb agreement. Understanding how these nouns operate—grammatically and stylistically—helps authors avoid errors, maintain consistency and ensure clarity for readers across disciplines.
Whether you write in British or American English, whether your research is quantitative or qualitative and whether your field demands strict adherence to traditional grammar, the key is to choose your agreement patterns deliberately and apply them consistently throughout your manuscript. Doing so strengthens your writing, improves readability and enhances your professional credibility as a researcher.
For authors who would like support improving structure, clarity or academic style, our journal article editing service and manuscript editing service can help ensure that your work is polished, consistent and ready for publication.
