It is interesting that Oxford says scissors is a plural noun and then uses the word as a singular. And even though it's only one it's still a pair of scissors. A sure way to know the gender of a noun is to look at its article — when it’s available, of course! Some French Nouns Can Only Be Plural . ; There are more nouns: binoculars, headphones, pyjamas, scales, shorts, tights, trousers. I would not mix these pair nouns with other nouns used in plural form as clothes, belongings etc. In the singular, ‘shear’ sounds too much like the verb, ‘to shear,’ so people more commonly use ‘knife’ or ‘blade’ instead of ‘shear.’ I would go so far as to say that there is no example in standard English of a plural noun being treated as singular in this way, other than by being characterised as a pair of something. Thus a plural count noun preceded by a definite article generalises, a plural count-noun preceded by an indefinite article is restrictive. Children like sweets : les enfants aiment les bonbons but She has (some) children : elle a des enfants The above examples show that the dividing line between the concepts of "generalisation" and "restriction" is not quite the same in French and English. 2. A 'pair' is two of something, but a pair can be singular or plural—it’s one of those odd English nouns (like couple) that can be singular or plural depending on how you’re thinking of the people or items in question. scissors: [noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction] a cutting instrument having two blades whose cutting edges slide past each other. Verbs after these nouns have plural form and when referring to one object you use "a pair of" as in a pair of trousers. In short, the plural of scissors is, well, scissors.It’s already in the plural form. In a less strict usage of the term, it can also refer to nouns whose singular form is rarely used. The spelling was highly uncertain before 20c. (Plurale tantum is not a plurale tantum: its plural is pluralia tantum). Find more French words at wordhippo.com! Group Grammar: Your Guide to Partying with the French Plural. The spelling with sc- (16th century) was by association with the Latin stem sciss- ‘cut’. The word for scissors in French is ciseaux.This word is unusual because it is always used in the plural form. ; I have bought two pairs of jeans. The word is descended from the Latin cīsōria, which actually did have a singular form: cīsōrium.This evolved into cisoires in Old French, then sisoures in Middle English. If you want to refer to an exact number, use a/one pair of, like in the following example.. scissors | pair of scissors [synonym, sense-specific] | switch [synonym, sense-specific] [countable, plural in form, with a plural verb] A tool used for cutting thin material, consisting of two crossing blades attached at a pivot point in such a way that the blades slide across each other when the handles are closed. Nouns not used in the singular (headwords) French Definite Articles French … French: Une Calculatrice English: A Calculator! — English words, define in German — scissors … The spelling was highly uncertain before 20c. Though pluralia tantum name single objects, they are grammatically plural: "the scissors are on the table," "my pants are in the dryer." scissors. The Oxford Guide to English Grammar has pair nouns in paragraph 155. . late 14c., sisoures, from Old French cisoires (plural) "shears," from Vulgar Latin *cisoria (plural) "cutting instrument," from *cisus (in compounds such as Latin excisus, past participle of excidere "to cut out"), ultimately from Latin caedere "to cut" (from PIE root *kae-id-"to strike"). Scissors definition, a cutting instrument for paper, cloth, etc., consisting of two blades, each having a ring-shaped handle, that are so pivoted together that their sharp edges work one against the other (often used with pair of). In American English, a pair is singular and therefore takes a singular verb (e.g., this pair (of scissors… The French definite article is the equivalent of the. Scissors has a plural verb agreement. To the situation you have given, "scissors" if referred to one set of cutting tool, you can say "a pair of scissors" not "a scissor". Just as in English, some words in French are always plural: les ciseaux m. (scissors) les gens m. (people) les lunettes f. (eyeglasses) les mathématiques f. (mathematics) les vacances f. (vacation) Some nouns are singular but refer to a group of people. Scissors. Late Middle English from Old French cisoires, from late Latin cisoria, plural of cisorium ‘cutting instrument’, from cis-, variant of caes-, stem of caedere ‘to cut’. Feminine Objects Number 1! The noun scissors is treated as a plural noun, and therefore takes a plural verb (e.g., these scissors are). You... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples I have bought a pair of jeans. French words for cut with scissors include couper aux ciseaux and couper avec les ciseaux. We say, “the scissors are over there,” not "the scissors is over there." The word shears is used to describe similar instruments that are larger in size and for heavier cutting. FluentU takes real-world videos, like music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into French learning experiences. Even where it can be singular (like Oxford 1.2), it's an ordinary singular noun. In every European language we have to differ between Singular (French: le singulier) and Plural (French: le pluriel). In French: Scissors = ciseaux (plural) Pants = pantalon (singular) Glasses = lunettes (plural) usually you would say 'pair of scissors' if you were to say one. Make sure to use a singular verb that agrees with these subjects: le public (audience) Definition of scissors in the Definitions.net dictionary. : The noun 'pair' can be followed by a singular or plural verb.The singular is always used when pair denotes the set taken as a single entity: This pair of shoes is on sale. 'i have two scissors' is correct though|scissors is always plural|'.... You only have a short amount of time, so be clever and discerning in order to do/towards whatever you want to do in your life'|everything else is good scissors n. (rock paper scissors) A hand with the index and middle fingers open (a handshape resembling scissors)… scissors n. (rare) plural of scissor. Scissors definition: Scissors are a small cutting tool with two sharp blades that are screwed together. The noun scissors is treated as a plural noun, and therefore takes a plural verb (e.g., these scissors are). French Plural Words Number 1 Masculine Object Number 9 French: Des Lunettes French: Un Ordinatuer English: scissors French: Des ciseaux scissors v. Third-person singular simple present indicative form of scissor. Learn more in the Cambridge English-French Dictionary. Alternatively, the tool is referred to by the singular phrase a pair of scissors . (countable, wrestling) A scissors hold. 11 Nouns That Only Have a Plural Form iStock.com/Wega52 Of all the grammar concepts we have, “plural” seems to be one of the most straightforward. Measles is a noun that can take a singular or a plural verb. A plurale tantum (Latin for "plural only", plural form: pluralia tantum) is a noun that appears only in the plural form and does not have a singular variant for referring to a single object. Information and translations of scissors in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. scissors, tongs, spectacles, glasses, compasses. Scissors is an example of a plurale tantum, or an English word that only has a plural form that represents a singular object. scissors: “Where are the scissors? But French has four forms of article défini. Word Origin late Middle English: from Old French cisoires, from late Latin cisoria, plural of cisorium ‘cutting instrument’, from cis-, variant of caes-, stem of caedere ‘to cut’. Luckily, you can do that with FluentU. But since the mesele rarely showed up as one, its plural came into use and shoved out the singular. "Scissors" is an example of plural noun in form that takes plural verb but in some cases it can take singular verb. In both French and English, many nouns can be singular or plural: un homme (one man), deux hommes (two men), la chaise (the chair), les chaises (the chairs).But there are quite a few French nouns that can only be plural, sometimes because the noun has a different meaning in the singular. the French npl plural noun: Noun always used in plural form--for example, "jeans," "scissors." scissors (n.) late 14c., sisoures, from Old French cisoires (plural) "shears," from Vulgar Latin *cisoria (plural) "cutting instrument," from *cisus (in compounds such as Latin excisus, past participle of excidere "to cut out"), ultimately from Latin caedere "to cut" (from PIE root *kae-id-"to strike"). Alternatively, it is also referred to as a pair of scissors. Have you seen them?” pliers: “Can you hand me the pliers, please?” pants, trousers, jeans, shorts: “How much are the jeans?” Some nationalities are also only common in the plural form (which means only with plural verbs): the English, the British, the French, the Spanish, the Dutch, the Welsh, etc. scissors translations: ciseaux, ciseaux. The spelling with sc- (16th cent.) Meaning of scissors. "Scissors" can take a singular verb when "a pair" is added to it. What does scissors mean? Like English, French has definite articles, indefinite articles, and partitive articles. See more. One of the best ways to learn the French plural is to just hear it being used by native French speakers. so it would be 'i have one pair of scissors'. Many translated example sentences containing "scissors" – French-English dictionary and search engine for French translations. 1. 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