Loan words - singular
From Hull AWE
Advice LeafletsAdvice leaflets originally produced for the Study Advice Service in the University of Hull, which holds the copyright:
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This table shows a few of the words that English has taken from other languages that are most often found in the singular. In formal academic English, it is usually seen as correct to use the foreign plural forms. So these are given where we think they may be useful.
| Singular | Plural | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| abscissa | abscissae | OED also records abscissas. |
| addendum | addenda | ~ 'the things that should be added'. |
| alumna | alumnae | These are the feminine forms, ~ old girl(s). |
| alumnus | alumni | These are the masculine forms, ~ old boy(s). |
| analysis | analyses | Don't confuse with verb 'to analyse' → analyses (3rd person singular present tense. |
| auditorium | auditoria | |
| appendix | appendices | Better academic plural than appendixes. |
| automaton | automata | OED also records automatons. |
| axis | axes | Maths (~ turning point; graph line); History (the Axis = Germany, Italy, Japan in W.W.II). |
| bacterium | bacteria | N.B. a single tiny thing is a bacterium. |
| bureau | bureaux | Allen (2008) notes that in American English, the commoner plural is bureaus. |
| cherub | cherubim | Academic religious contexts. Children are cherubs (figurative use) |
| compendium | compendia | OED also records compendiums. |
| consortium | consortia | |
| colloquium | colloquia | |
| continuum | continua | |
| corpus | corpora | |
| crisis | crises | |
| criterion | criteria | |
| curriculum | curricula | The adjective is curricular. |
| dictum | dicta | |
| emphasis | emphases | Don't confuse with the veb to emphasise → emphasises. |
| erratum | errata | |
| focus | foci | Also focuses; in U.K. often 'irregular' focusses. |
| forum | fora | Many people say forums. |
| fungus | fungi | Colloquially, sometimes funguses. |
| ganglion | ganglia | |
| genus | genera | |
| gymnasium | gymnasia | (Gymnasiums is also recognized by OED.) |
| helix | helices | |
| hypothesis | hypotheses | Don't confuse with verb to hypothesise. |
| incunabulum | incunabula | |
| index | indices | Better academic plural in the sciences than indexes. |
| locus | loci | |
| maximum | maxima | Note adjective maximal. |
| medium | media | |
| minimum | minima | Note adjective minimal. |
| nebula | nebulae | |
| opus | opera | Musical plays use 'the works' (~ all available methods) to move the audience. |
| persona | personae | - and personae non gratae. |
| phenomenon | phenomena | |
| postscriptum | -scripta | Academics may add several post scripta to a letter. Others have postscripts. |
| quantum | quanta | OED records quantums. |
| radius | radii | |
| referendum | referenda | Also referendums. |
| rostrum | rostra | rarely rostrums (OED). |
| seraph | seraphim | In academic religious studies. |
| series | series | Singular and plural are the same. |
| simulacrum | simulacra | |
| species | species | Singular and plural are the same. |
| spectrum | spectra | |
| stadium | stadia | Still better in academic English than stadiums, which is the usual colloquial form. |
| stimulus | stimuli | |
| stratum | strata | |
| syllabus | syllabi | Better in academic writing than syllabuses. |
| synthesis | syntheses | - and verb to synthesise. |
| thesis | theses | |
| tumulus | tumuli | Mostly archaeological. |
| ultimatum | ultimata | Ultimatums also exists. |
| vertex | vertices | |
| vortex | vortices |
