IELTS Listening Test: The Role of Grammar (Part 2: Singular or Plural)

In the IELTS Listening Test, paying close attention to detail is very important. One key grammar point is hearing and understanding the difference between singular and plural forms as this affects the accuracy of your answer. This blog will show how to see the clues in the questions themselves that tell you if you should listen for a singular or plural answer. There is a quiz at the end to put your knowledge to the test!

 Let’s look at some examples:

Audio: "During the workshop, participants were asked to bring their own laptops and notebooks."

Question: Participants should bring their own laptops and _______ to the workshop.

Answer: notebooks (This answer clearly asks for a noun in plural because it refers to multiple participants, each needing their own items.)

Audio: "The wildlife reserve is home to various species of birds, including eagles, owls, and parrots."

Question: The wildlife reserve is home to various species of _______.

Answer: birds (Plural noun is needed here, because the audio and the question mention multiple species of birds.)

A quiz! (Answers at the end of the post)

Here are some IELTS Listening questions. We have included some information about the question context, too. Read the questions carefully and decide which form of the noun is correct.

1 You will hear part of a conversation about holiday activities.

Question: The hotel offers free __________ for guests staying more than three nights.

a)       meal      b) meals 

2 You will hear a tutor giving a talk about an upcoming conference.

Question: The event will take place over four __________.

a)       days       b) day

3 You will hear a teacher giving instructions about a school trip.

Question: Each student must bring their own __________ to the campsite.

a)       tent        b) tents

4 You will hear a woman talking about a new fitness program.

Question: The fitness program includes daily __________ such as yoga and pilates.

a)       class       b) classes

5 You will hear a lecture about the history of transportation.

Question: The introduction of the motor __________ revolutionized transportation in the early 20th century.

a)       car          b) cars

6 You will hear an interview between Martha and her employer.

Question: Employees are given one hour for lunch and _______ coffee breaks.

a)       20 minutes          b) 20-minute

7 You will hear a lecture about plant biology.

Question: In autumn, deciduous trees lose their __________ as part of the seasonal cycle.

a)       leaf         b) leafs                  c) leaves

8 You will hear a discussion about architecture.

Question: Buildings in Paris are particularly famous for their grey, lead .......................

a)       roof       b) roofs                c) rooves

9 You will hear a conversation about home design.

Question: The living room was completely redesigned, and they bought new __________ to match the modern style.

a)       furniture              b) furnitures

Now check the answer key below. How did you do?

a) Always use context clues like "each”, “many”, "four," "over 50", etc., and phrases such as "daily," "free" etc., as they will indicate whether a singular or plural noun is required.

b) Please be mindful about irregular nouns, too, for example:

• child → children

• man → men

• leaf → leaves

c) And remember, some nouns, for example furniture, are uncountable and so do not have a plural form.

In conclusion, paying attention to singular and plural nouns makes a big difference in the IELTS Listening Test. The correct use of the nouns ensure that your answers are grammatically correct. And remember, grammatical accuracy is required in the other sections of the IELTS Test, too.

And, if you want to learn more about the importance of grammar in the Listening Test, read our first blog here

Why don’t you access our on-demand lessons on the Listening Test?

 Best of luck with your IELTS test preparation!

Answer key:

1.       meals (the phrase "free" suggests more than one meal during the stay.)

2.       days ("four" indicates more than one day)

3.       tent ("each student") refers to an individual bringing only one item.

4.       classes ("daily" implies more than one session, and yoga and pilates are examples of multiple types of activities)

5.       car (the phrase "introduction of the motor" indicates one specific type of vehicle)

6.       20-minute (the phrase "20-minute" describes the length of the coffee break, so it works as an adjective. In English, when numbers are used to describe something (like time, distance, or age) before a noun, they are usually kept in singular, for example:  "a 10-kilometer race"

7.       leaves (since each tree has multiple leaves, and the subject "many trees" refers to more than one tree, it's logical to use the plural form "leaves". The correct plural of "leaf" is "leaves" because "leaf" is an irregular noun. For many nouns that end in "f" or "fe," the plural form is made by changing the "f" to "v" and adding "es". So, "leaf" becomes "leaves" in the plural, not "leafs.". Other examples follow the same pattern, like:

"wolf" becomes "wolves"

"knife" becomes "knives"

8.       roofs (in this case, "roof" is an exception to the rule given above. The plural is "roofs", not "rooves," even though some nouns ending in "f" change to "ves" (yes, like "leaf" to "leaves"). This is why it's important to know which nouns are irregular and how their plurals form.)

9.       furniture (in this case, "furniture" stays the same whether you're talking about one item or many because it's an uncountable noun in English.)