Nouns with Different Meanings in the Singular and the Plural


source: Learn English with Let's Talk    2014年7月20日
Some nouns have different meanings in the singular and the plural. Examples are given below:
Air -- atmosphere
Airs -- affected manners

Blind - unable to see because of injury, disease, or a congenital condition.
Blinds - a screen for a window, especially one on a roller or made of slats.

Character- the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.
Characters- People in a novel, play, or film

Custom - a traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place, or time.
Customs -the official department that administers and collects the duties levied by a government on imported goods.

Content - Someone who is in a state of peaceful happiness.
Contents - the things that are held or included in something.

Good -having the required qualities; of a high standard.
Goods - merchandise or possessions.

Force - strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement.
Forces - an organized military force equipped for fighting on land, sea or air.

Spectacle - a visually striking performance or display OR Some visual scene.
Spectacles - a pair of glasses.

Wood - the hard fibrous material that forms the main substance of the trunk or branches of a tree or shrub, used for fuel or timber
Woods -an area of land, smaller than a forest, that is covered with growing trees.

Manner - a way or method in which a thing is done or happens.
Manners - polite or well-bred social behavior OR etiquette one follows.