Updated 2021

Dear Friend,

In writing about Henoch Schonlein Purpura, an IEN with a family history with this disease wrote:

Symptomes of this disease are purpuric rashes all over the body, joint pain and cold like symptoms like headache, sorethroat and earache.

Noticing that headache, sore throat and earache were singular I asked, ” Do you understand why earaches and sore throats are plural?”

She replied, “I did research on, why do we use earaches or sore throats?  But I could not find the reason. So, can you please explain that to me? Thank you.

I gave her an explanation and asked her to write a few sentences using headache, sore throat and ear ache in the singular and plural forms. She submitted the following:

1. Mary has suffered from earaches since her second birthday.
2. I have a headache this morning.
3. Doctor prescribed an antibiotic for her sore throats.
4. Joe has headache when he skip a meal.

Which is correct, and which is incorrect, and why?

She replied:

 I think I should correct these two sentences

• Doctor prescribed an antibiotic for her sorethroat.
• Joe has headaches when he skips a meal.

More examples

• Mary took a Tylenol tablet for her headache.

She was right: 1 and 2 are correct, 3 and 4 are not. But why? Here is what I told her.

Thank you, for doing the research first before asking. This allows a deeper level of learning, when you do the research.

Earaches, headaches and sore throats are usually plural when they have been happening over a long time, for several years, several months or a lifetime.

On the other hand a person suffers from an earache, a headache or a sore throat (singular) as a recent event, or a present occurrence.