Is "means" plural or singular?

Which is correct?

  1. There is no means to listen what he is saying.
  2. There are no means to listen what he is saying.

According to Oxford Dictionaries it can be "treated as singular or plural".

Personally, I find the plural form more natural in your example. Also note that you need another "to": There are no means to listen to what he is saying.


Singular or plural can be used: use as a singular, e.g. "cars are a means of transportation", or as a plural when talking about wealth e.g. "His means are plenty" (that is, he has many ways of getting money).