media, medium

Avertissement

Ce contenu est offert en anglais seulement.

Originally, medium was the singular and media the plural. (Note that medias as a plural is incorrect.)

  • The Internet is an effective medium for expressing personal opinions.
  • The story was given prominent coverage in the news media.

However, usage is evolving. While we still use the Latin plural media in expressions like news media or mass media, it has become acceptable to use mediums as a plural in other contexts.

  • This artist experiments with many media (or mediums), including oils, acrylics, sound sculptures and video, but clay remains her favourite medium.
  • Today, we have several mediums of communication at our disposal.

In the case of clairvoyants and clothing sizes, the only possible plural form is mediums.

  • Madame Irena was only one of the mediums consulted by the police.
  • This customer is looking for a yellow sweatshirt: have we got any more mediums?

Verb agreement with media

When used in reference to the news media, the term media has become a collective noun in English and can take either a singular or a plural verb.

If the writer is thinking of the media as a unit, a singular verb is used.

  • The mass media is sometimes guilty of bias in the way it reports the news.

If the writer is thinking of the media as a collection of individual mediums, a plural verb is used.

  • The media have been very aggressive in their coverage of the Prime Minister.

Avis de droit d’auteur pour l’outil Writing Tips Plus

© Sa Majesté le Roi du chef du Canada, représenté par le ou la ministre des Services publics et de l’Approvisionnement
Un outil créé et mis en ligne par le Bureau de la traduction, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada

Rechercher par thèmes connexes

Vous voulez en apprendre davantage sur un thème abordé dans cette page? Cliquez sur un lien ci-dessous pour voir toutes les pages du Portail linguistique du Canada portant sur le thème choisi. Les résultats de recherche s’afficheront dans le Navigateur linguistique.

Liens connexes