AMA Manual of Style - Stacy L. Christiansen, Cheryl Iverson 2020

False Singulars
Plurals

Some nouns, because they end in a “plural” form, are mistaken for plurals, even though they should be treated as singular and take a singular verb.

Measles is a deadly disease.

Mathematics has always been her passion.

Genetics is a rapidly changing field of study.

A few nouns are usually used in the plural form; however, the distinction between plural and singular should be retained where appropriate (Table 9.9-1) (see 7.5.3, False Plurals).

Table 9.9-1. False Singulars

^a Exception: when referring to social media, news media, or the media, use a singular verb. The same applies when referring to big data as a term for extremely large, often unstructured data sets that can be mined for business or social uses.

Principal Author: Brenda Gregoline, ELS

Acknowledgment

I thank Barbara Gastel, MD, MPH, Texas A&M University, for review and comments.