Usage / 415-^ Words that end in –ics are usually singular, especially when they refer to a
study, science, or practice. They are plural only when they have modifiers in
front.
politics, mathematics, civics, ethics, economics, athletics
Mathematics is her field of excellence.
His mathematics are incorrect.
-^ Some English words retain their original foreign-language plural forms. Use a
plural verb with the plural forms.
datum, data; alumnus, alumni; memorandum, memoranda
The data are overwhelmingly clear.
-^ Plural titles represent a single thing; use a singular verb.
Great Expectations is one of Dickens’s most famous novels.
-^ Nouns in the plural form that represent an amount, a fraction, or an element
of time take a singular verb.
Fifty dollars is too much to spend on my gift.
Pronoun usaGe
Pronoun usage can be summarized in ten points.
First, use the subjective form of the pronoun for the subject of a sentence:
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Most errors occur when the pronoun is part of a compound subject. To avoid the
error, consider the pronoun alone.
Patricia and she visited over the weekend.
(She visited over the weekend.)Second, use the subjective form also for predicate pronouns, those that follow
linking verbs.
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
It was he who made me smile.Third, use the objective form for a pronoun used as any object.
me, you, him, her, it, us, them