Underlined nouns in the Written Expression section may be incorrect because they are plural but should be singular, or because they are singular but should be plural.
Sometimes it is clear that a singular subject is incorrectly used because the verb is plural, or that a plural noun is used incorrectly because the verb is singular. In this type of item, the verb will not be underlined, because this is not a verb error.
Sometimes it is obvious that a plural or a singular noun is needed because of the determiners that precede the noun. Certain determiners are used only before singular nouns while other determiners are used only before plural nouns.
| Determiners Used with Singular Nouns | Determiners Used with Plural Nouns |
| a/an | two, three, four, etc. |
| one | dozens of |
| a single | hundreds of |
| each | thousands of |
| every | a few (of) |
| this | many (of) |
| that | a number of |
| the number of | |
| a couple (of) | |
| every one of | |
| each one of | |
| each of | |
| one of | |
| these | |
| those |
Each contestant won a prize.
Each of the contestants won a prize.
This flower is a yellow rose.
These flowers are yellow roses.
I attended only one game this season.
It was one of the most exciting games that I ever attended.
∇ Sample Item
Several of (A) Washington Irving’s story (B) have become (C) classics in American literature (D).
(A) of
(B) story
(C) become
(D) literature
The best answer is (B). In this item, both the determiner before the noun (Several of) and the plural verb (have) indicate that a plural noun (stories) should be used.
Mauna Loa, an active (A) volcano on (B) the island (C) of Hawaii, usually has one eruptions (D) every three years.
(A) an active
(B) on
(C) island
(D) eruptions
The best choice is (D). A singular noun must be used after the determiner one.
One of the (A) most beautiful (B) state capitol (C) is the Utah State Capitol, located (D) in Salt Lake City.
(A) of the
(B) beautiful
(C) capitol
(D) located
The correct choice is (C). The correct pattern is one of the + superlative adjective + plural noun. The plural noun capitols must therefore be used.
Most plural nouns in English end in -s, but a few are irregular. Only the most common irregular plurals are tested on TOEFL. (Irregular plurals that come to English from Latin or Greek–data, cacti, alumnae, or phenomena, for example-will NOT be tested on TOEFL.)
| Common Irregular Plural Nouns | |
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| child | children |
| man | men |
| woman | women |
| foot | feet |
| tooth | teeth |
| mouse | mice |
| fish | fish |
∇ Sample Item
As childs (A) grow older (B), their (C) bones become thicker (D) and longer.
(A) childs
(B) older
(C) their
(D) thicker
The best choice is (B). The correct plural form of child is children.
In some items a non-count noun (such as furniture, research, sunshine, information, or bread) is incorrectly given as a plural noun.
∇ Sample Item
Some (A) encyclopedias deal with (B) specific fields, such as music (C) or philosophy, and provide informations (D) on only those subjects.
(A) Some
(B) deal with
(C) music
(D) informations
The best choice is (D). Information is an uncountable noun and cannot be pluralized.
Compound nouns consist of two nouns used together to express a single idea: grocery store, travel agent, dinner party, and house cat, for example. Only the second noun of compounds is pluralized: grocery stores, travel agents, dinner parties, and house cats.
(There are rare exceptions to this rule–sports cars and women doctors, for example–but these won’t be tested.)
∇ Sample Item
Raymond Chandler’s detectives stories (A) are admired (B) by both critics and (C) general readers (D).
(A) detectives stories
(B) admired
(C) and
(D) readers
The best choice is (A). The correct plural form of this compound noun is detective stories.
Some errors involve numbers + measurements:
They went for a six-mile walk.
They walked six miles.
In the first sentence, the number + measurement is used as an adjective, and the measurement is singular. In the second, the measurement is a noun and is therefore plural.
Numbers like hundred, thousand, and million may be pluralized when they are used indefinitely–in other words, when they do not follow other numbers.
| seven thousand | thousands |
| five million dollars | millions of dollars |
∇ Sample Item
The (A) U.S. president serves (B) a maximum (C) of two four-years (D) terms.
(A) The
(B) serves
(C) maximum
(D) four-years
The best choice is (D). When used before a noun, a number + measurement is singular.
Thousand (A) of antibiotics have been (B) developed, but only (C) about thirty are (D) in common use today.
(A) Thousand
(B) have been
(C) only
(D) are
The best choice is (A). The plural form Thousands should be used.