singular
part of speech
adjective (singular); noun (the singular)
meaning for a pupil
1) In grammar, singular means one: «cat» is singular and «cats» is plural. tree →
2) (formal) Singular means very unusual or special, one of a kind. tree →
3) The singular is the form of a word for just one thing. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In the Tanakh "singular" means unique, one of a kind. The prophet Ezekiel speaks of "a singular evil," a disaster like no other. In Sefer Yetzirah it is used in the grammar sense, as the one form of the word God. Interpretation: The tradition reads Ezekiel's "singular evil" as a warning of a terrible and unmatched punishment coming on Israel. In the primary lessons: In grammar lessons, pupils change singular nouns into plurals and make verbs agree: «he runs» (singular), «they run» (plural). In maths and science writing, «unit» is singular. In stories, «a singular man» means very strange or remarkable.
examples
- AL ChI H OULMIM; ''the Living God of Ages," here the word God really is in the singular. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
- Thus saith the Lord GOD: An evil, a singular evil, behold, it cometh. (Prophets EZK.7.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- «Mouse» is singular and «mice» is plural. tree →
- Use a singular verb with «everyone». tree →
- Write the singular of «children». tree →
- She showed singular bravery. tree →
- «Is» goes with a singular subject. tree →
- «Sheep» is the same in singular and plural. tree →
- They were of the most singular shapes, and glittered like diamonds. tree →
note
Opposite: plural. Traps: some words look plural but are singular (news, maths); some are the same in both (sheep, fish). «They» can be used for one person whose gender is unknown.
In the corpora
- Thus saith the Lord GOD: An evil, a singular evil, behold, it cometh.
- Singular means one; plural means more than one.
- Sheep, deer and moose are the same in singular and plural; fish is usually the same too (three fish).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «singular» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.