N-PLURAL represents plural noun according to the explanation in the Collins COBUILD dictionary. Can I interpret it as a noun that is countable but unable to be used in singular form and only able to be used in plural form?
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1This could easily have been added to the first question. Also, I don't think a clear, correct, definitive answer has been given to the first one yet.– Alan CarmackAug 9, 2016 at 13:15
1 Answer
Dictionaries should usually include a usage guide that explains what things like N-PLURAL mean, but yes, your guess is basically correct. Trousers is one of the nouns in English that can really only be used in a plural form:
He wore trousers
Never
He wore a trouser
There are a few words like this: trousers, pants, scissors, clothes, glasses (but only when it means "reading glasses" - drinking glasses can be singular). These words are technically called plurale tantum.
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There are many usages of a scissor as a noun. Check out Google books for 21st century uses only. It's also used earlier (20th century, etc). Aug 9, 2016 at 13:19
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OK, scissors isn't always plural...just the vast majority of the time, including historically. For the learner of English, I would say that a pretty good first approximation is that scissors is always plural.– stangdonAug 9, 2016 at 14:35