youth, man, woman

THERE seems to be some confusion over the use of the word “youth” in its singular and plural forms.

The word “youth” without ‘s’ after it may be used for young people collectively, or it may be used as an abstract noun meaning the period when we are young.

The youth of Rottingen came in their thousands to listen to the speaker. (Correct)

In his youth, he had never touched alcohol, although both his parents were wine-drinkers. (Correct)

The police arrested fifteen youth for riding their motorcycles recklessly. (Wrong)

The police arrested fifteen youths for riding their motorcycles recklessly. (Correct)

When used for a number of young people as individuals, the word is a countable noun, i.e. it has to be followed by ‘s’.

The word “man” may be used for human beings collectively, though this usage is rather rare. An example is the poet Robert Burns’ saying:

Man’s inhumanity to Man.

Most English speakers in Malaysia are presumably aware that the plural of “woman” is spelt w-o-m-e-n, but regrettably, the plural word is pronounced by a large proportion of Malaysians in the same way as the singular, leading to spoken anomalies such as:

More woman have offered themselves as candidates in the present election than ever before.

– D.P.P., Johor Baru