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AMA Manual of Style (10th ed.) : A Guide for Authors and Editors

AMA Manual of Style Committee

Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Print Publication Date:
Mar 2007
Print ISBN-13:
9780195176339
Published to AMA Manual of Style:
Apr 2009
DOI:
10.1093/jama/9780195176339.001.0001
© American Medical Association
Contents

Parenthetical Plurals

Chapter:
Grammar
Author(s):

Stacy Christiansen

7.8.4 Parenthetical Plurals

When -s or -es is added parenthetically to a word to express the possibility of a plural, the verb should be singular. However, in most instances it is preferable to avoid this construction and use the plural noun instead.

Acceptable:

The risk factor(s) for each study participant was not always clear.

Better:

The risk factors of the study participants were not always clear.