Tricky Subjects (news, scissors, -ics, titles)

You'd think you could tell whether a word is singular or plural just by looking at it — if it ends in -s, it's plural, and if it doesn't, it's singular. Most of the time that works. But English keeps a small pile of troublemakers that break the rule, and they catch out the verb every time. Some words wear a plural -s on the end and yet mean just one thing (like news or maths). Others have no -s at all but are always treated as plural (like scissors or trousers). Because the spelling gives you the wrong signal, these tricky subjects are worth learning as a set, so that when one turns up you don't reach for the wrong verb out of habit.

Looks plural, but singular

A handful of words end in -s but name a single subject, idea or activity, so they take a singular verb:

The news is on at six. (not "are") Maths is my favourite subject. · Physics is hard but interesting. Gymnastics, athletics and measles — all singular too.

The pattern is easiest to see with school subjects and areas of study: maths, physics, economics, politics are each one field, so despite the -s they behave as singular — maths is, not maths are. The same goes for the name of an illness like measles or mumps, and for news, which is one flow of information, not several "news". If you can put "the subject of" or "the topic of" in front of it, it's almost certainly singular.

Always plural (no singular form)

Now the opposite group. Some everyday objects are made of two joined parts, and English treats them as permanently plural — they don't even have a normal singular form:

My scissors are blunt. · Your trousers are muddy. · Where are my glasses?

Scissors, trousers, jeans, shorts, pyjamas, tongs, pliers, binoculars all work this way. You can't have "a scissor" or "a trouser". To count them, or to talk about one, you reach for the phrase a pair of: a pair of scissors is on the desk, two pairs of trousers are in the wash. Notice the verb then follows pair or pairs, which behaves normally.

Titles and single things → singular

A book, film, band or team name is one thing — one title — even when the name itself sounds plural or contains plural words:

"Great Expectations" is a long book. (one novel) "The Avengers" is on at the cinema. (one film) The United Nations is meeting today. (one organisation)

The trick is to remember you're talking about the thing that bears the name, not the words inside it. Star Wars has a plural-sounding word in it, but there's one film series, so it's is. This catches people out most with band names and organisations, so it's worth a second's thought whenever a title is your subject.

Watch out — money, time and distance → singular

An amount treated as one whole takes a singular verb, even though the number in front looks plural:

Ten pounds is a lot. · Two weeks is a long time. · Five miles is a fair way to cycle.

You're not counting ten separate coins or two separate weeks; you're treating the amount as a single block — one price, one length of time, one distance. So the verb goes singular: ten pounds is, not ten pounds are. It feels odd at first, but it lines up with everything else here — what matters is the meaning of the subject, not the -s on its tail.

An edge case: words that swing both ways

To be fair, a few of these words change sides depending on meaning. Politics is singular as a school subject (politics is fascinating) but can be plural when it means someone's beliefs (her politics are well known). Statistics is singular as the subject you study (statistics is tricky) but plural when it means actual figures (the statistics were shocking). You don't need to agonise over these — just notice that the same word can mean "one field of study" or "several separate things", and let the meaning pick the verb, exactly as it does everywhere else in agreement.

A second angle: ask "one, or a pair, or a topic?"

If you meet one of these words and freeze, run it through three quick questions. First: is this the name of a subject or topic — maths, news, physics, a film title? If so, it's one thing, so use a singular verb. Second: is it a two-part object — scissors, trousers, glasses, tongs? If so, it's always plural, unless you've put a pair of in front, in which case follow pair. Third: is it an amount of money, time or distance treated as a single block? Then it's singular again. Almost every tricky subject you'll meet falls into one of those three buckets, so sorting it takes only a moment. The habit to build is refusing to trust the final -s: that letter tells you how the word is spelled, not how many things it means, and in this small corner of English those two are often out of step.

Why it matters

These words are common — you'll write news, maths, glasses and film titles all the time — so a wrong verb on one of them stands out, and it's a classic thing for markers to circle. Because the spelling actively misleads you, getting them right shows you're thinking about what a word means, not just how it looks, which is a real mark of a careful writer. And the effort is tiny: this is essentially a short list to learn, plus one guiding idea — look at the meaning, not the last letter. Once the set is familiar, you'll pick the right verb automatically, and you'll stop second-guessing yourself over whether the news really can take is (it can, and it does).

Quick check

is or are?

1. The news ___ shocking.

2. These scissors ___ sharp.

3. Maths ___ hard today.

4. "The Simpsons" ___ my favourite programme.

5. My jeans ___ too tight.

6. Three pounds ___ enough for the bus.

Where next

• Subject–Verb Agreement — the core rule.
• Notional Concord — meaning vs form.
• Quantities as Subjects — amounts and the verb.