# Are there any plural words that don't have a singular? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2000, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666 "2000-08-17T03:14:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2000, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666/61 "2000-08-19T08:11:29Z")
Series. As in The World Series. Can there be only one serie? sery? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2000, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666/62 "2000-08-19T08:37:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Smeghead > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally posted by E d’Mann > > Is smegma singular or plural or does it even matter? Wait, I can answer that last part… > > I’m single. Single is nice. Female and single is nicer. Female and single and in the DFW area is nicer still. Hey, I can hope, can’t I? (Don’t answer that!) ---
**Author:** ![douglips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@douglips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/douglips)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2000, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666/63 "2000-08-19T15:59:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Ryan \* > \*\*Here’s another stumper: > The word “wrought” is past tense of another English word. Which one? > And one that’s (hopefully) a bit easier: what’s the present tense of “sought”? \*\* “wrought” is past tense for “work”. Example: wrought iron. You don’t wreak the iron, you work it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2000, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666/64 "2000-08-19T16:26:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by E d’Mann \* > \*\*Oh, and while we’re off the subject… > > When you say “ **It** is raining,” what noun does the pronoun “ **it** ” replace? \*\* Probably “the weather”, although it would depend on the context. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2000, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666/65 "2000-08-19T17:31:36Z")
One is said to have “wrought” vengence. I don’t work vengence, I wreak it. Perhaps those who use “wrought” this way are _wroung_–although, I think God wrought some in the Bible ---
**Author:** ![Guinevere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@Guinevere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinevere)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2000, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666/66 "2000-08-20T11:46:00Z")
Ever tried to write and not use sexist lanuage? You can’t say “he” when talking generally, and “he/she” is a pain, but there is no good alternative. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666/67 "2000-08-21T03:07:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by E d’Mann \* > When you say “ **It** is raining,” what noun does the pronoun “ **it** ” replace? Nothing. This is a case where the requirements of grammar overrule semantics. The sentence requires a subject, even though semantically all that’s important is the verb. So we put in _it_ as a placeholder subject. French does the same thing, but since there is no neutral gender in French, they use the masculine pronoun. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666/68 "2000-08-22T22:04:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrothaTJ \* > \*\*Start going into clothing, pants, jeans…how about trousers? Can you have A trouser? Clothes are weird, cuz then you’ve got underwear which has no plural. \*\* I’ve noticed for about 10 years add copywriters often refer to “a jean” or “a pant”. Sounds really funny, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-plural-words-that-dont-have-a-singular/29666.md?page=3)