Singrule And Plural Nouns Wesam Mahmoud

Singular and Plural Nouns

­ A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. Usually, the first page of a grammar book tells you about nouns.
Nouns give names of concrete or abstract things in our lives. As babies learn "mom," "dad," or "milk" as their first word, nouns should be the first topic when you study a foreign language.

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­ For the plural form of most nouns, add s.
● bottle – bottles
● cup – cups
● pencil – pencils
● desk – desks
● sticker – stickers
● window – windows
For nouns that end in ch, x, s, or s sounds, add es.
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●
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●

box – boxes watch – watches moss – mosses bus – buses

For nouns ending in f or fe, change f to v and add es.
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●
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wolf – wolves wife – wives leaf – leaves life – lives

Some nouns have different plural forms.
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●
●
●
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child – children woman – women man – men mouse – mice goose – geese

Nouns ending in vowels like y or o do not have definite rules.
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baby – babies toy – toys kidney – kidneys potato – potatoes memo – memos stereo – stereos

A few nouns have the same singular and plural forms.

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●
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sheep – sheep deer – deer series – series species – species

The plural of nouns

Regular nouns
Most nouns form the plural by adding
­s
.
Examples
Singular Plural boat boats house houses

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cat cats river rivers A noun ending in s, x, z, ch, sh makes the plural by adding
­es
.
Examples
Singular Plural bus buses wish wishes pitch pitches box boxes
A noun ending in a consonant and then y makes the plural by dropping the y and adding
­ies
.
Examples
Singular Plural penny pennies spy spies baby babies city cities daisy daisies
Irregular nouns
There are some irregular formations for noun plurals. Some of the most common ones are listed below.
Examples
Singular woman man child tooth foot person leaf mouse goose half

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Plural women men children teeth feet people leaves mice geese halves

knife knives wife wives life lives elf elves loaf loaves potato potatoes tomato tomatoes cactus cacti focus foci fungus fungi nucleus nuclei syllabus syllabi/syllabuses analysis analyses diagnosis diagnoses oasis oases thesis theses crisis crises phenomenon phenomena criterion criteria datum data
Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.
Examples
Singular Plural sheep sheep fish fish deer deer species species aircraft aircraft
Irregular verb/noun agreement
Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.
Plural nouns used with a singular
Sentence
verb news The news is at 6.30 p.m. athletics Athletics is good for young people.

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Linguistics is the study of language. darts
Darts is a popular game in England.
Billiards is played all over the billiards world.
Some nouns have a fixed plural form and take a plural verb. They are not used in the singular, or they have a different meaning in the singular.
Nouns like this include: trousers, jeans, glasses, savings, thanks, steps, stairs, customs, congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts, goods, wits linguistics Plural noun with plural verb trousers jeans glasses

Sentence
My trousers are too tight. Her jeans are black.
Those glasses are his.

Singular & Plural Nouns

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Singular Noun Definition: When a noun means one only, it is said to be singular.
Examples: boy, girl, book, church, box

Plural Noun Definition:

When a noun means more than one, it is said to be plural.
Examples: boys, girls, books, churches

Rule #1
The plural of nouns is usually formed by adding - s to a singular noun.

lamp lamps cat cats fork forks flower flowers pen pens
Exercise: Write the plural of each of these nouns

chair star farm storm door rock owner paper cup
Rule #2
Nouns ending in s , z , x , sh
, and ch form the plural by adding
- es
.
moss buzz box dish church

mosses buzzes boxes dishes churches

Exercise: Write the plural of each of these nouns dress wish cross ax

brush class bench grass Special Note:

hex fox bush mantis If you add
-
s to such nouns as fox , bush , and bench , you will find that you cannot pronounce them without making an additional syllable. This is why such nouns form the plural by adding
-
es
.

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Quick Review Exercise: Tell if the following nouns are singular or plural box chair lamps dog

cats desk shoes carts slipper houses garden kitchen forks paper horses pony books wagon dress glass Exercise: Write the plural of the following nouns chair ax sketch star bush owner

pencil coat touch

girl tree latch

boy bench mug

Exercise: Write the singular of the following nouns bells clocks days churches boxes houses

wagons kitchens pencils

coals basins trees

pictures chairs tables

Rule #3
Nouns ending in - y preceded by a consonant is formed into a plural by changing - y to
-
ies
.
Examples: lady, ladies; city, cities; army, armies
Exercise: Write the plural of the following words fly lady city baby beauty sky

pony story duty

injury history study

cherry berry theory

Rule #4
Nouns ending in y preceded by a vowel form their plurals by adding
- s
.
Example: boy, boys; day, days
Exercise: Write the plural of the following words day play

toy joy essay valley turkey alley chimney volley Rule #5
Most nouns ending in o preceded by a consonant is formed into a plural by adding es
. Example: hero; heroes; grotto, grottoes
Exercise: Write the plural of the following words motto potato

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calico cargo buffalo volcano hero grotto mosquito* buffalo* tomato portico* halo* veto tornado*

*may add - s or - es The following are among those that add s only canto halo

solo memento piano albino lasso sirocco Special Note:
Most nouns ending in o preceded by a vowel is formed into a plural by adding - s

.
Example: folio, folios; cameo; cameos; studio, studios; portfolio, portfolios

Rule #6
Some nouns ending in f or fe are made plural by changing f or fe to
-
ves
.
Example: beef, beeves; wife, wives
Exercise: Write the plural of the following words calf loaf elf chief

self shelf half dwarf* leaf half thief proof sheaf wolf wife turf life knife gulf

The following form their plurals by adding
- s
.
chief, chiefs roof, roofs

fife, fifes grief, griefs

mischief, mischiefs kerchief, kerchiefs

IRREGULAR PLURALS man, men woman, women child, children

foot, feet tooth, teeth ox, oxen

mouse, mice louse, lice goose, geese

The following nouns have no singular: scissors trousers cattle victuals

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oats pinchers shears tweezers tongs bellows measles vespers dregs snuffers mumps

hoof, hoofs safe, safes

Some nouns are always singular. Some of these nouns may be used in the plural when different kinds are meant as sugars, coffees, cottons gold molasses

silver copper wheat sugar Singular nouns use this and that.
Plural nouns use these and those.

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corn cotton