grammatical number - Do we say and write 21 / 31 / 41 item or itemS?


I've been wondering, since these example numbers end with 1, isn't it natural to use the following noun in its singular form?


From what I've been seeing around on the web this does not seem to be the case. All numbers except for 1 are followed by plural nouns.


In some languages you do need to use the singular form with the numbers ending with 1.


How is it supposed to be in English?



Answer



In English, the singular is used for one thing, and the plural is generally used for anything else. This includes more than one (any number), as well as zero.


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