“She sang a lyric of great beauty.”
Usage Entry 1253 / 1350 60-second read
Lyric vs. Lyrics
A single line of sung words (or an adjective for expressive writing) versus the full set of words in a song.
The comparisoni
“She sang lyrics of great beauty. One line is a lyric; the full set is lyrics. The adjective ("lyric poetry") is different again.”
The ruleii
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LYRIC = line/adj. LYRICS = full song text.
LYRIC can mean a single line of sung text, or an adjective ("lyric poem" = short, expressive). LYRICS is the plural — the full words of a song. Grammatically, lyrics takes a plural verb.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Song has lyrics (plural).