Public Services and Procurement Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Institutional Links

 

Important notice

Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.

For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!

Search Canada.ca
To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

agenda, agendas

Agenda was originally the plural form of agendum, a Latin word meaning “something that needs to be done.” Hence, the plural agenda represented a list of items that needed to be dealt with.

However, agenda is now considered a singular noun in English and takes a singular verb. It can mean a list of items for discussion at a meeting, a plan of action, or a book in which to organize work and appointments:

  • The agenda for the meeting is attached to the email.
  • Your vacation agenda sounds very exciting!
  • This electronic agenda is much easier to use than previous versions.

The plural is agendas:

  • We have ordered new agendas for the coming calendar year.