Regular plurals Most nouns form their plurals by
Regular plurals Most nouns form their plurals by adding –s to the singular noun : book – books sport – sports car – cars Ø We add -es if the singular noun ends in -ch, -s or –x : church – churches dish - dishes bus – buses box – boxes Ø Some nouns ending in –o add -es in the plural : tomato – tomatoes hero – heroes potato - potatoes But : piano – pianos ; radio - radios ; zoo – zoos ; photos Ø
Nouns ending in a consonant + -y change the –y to i and add -es : Baby – babies Lady – ladies Factory - factories But : boy – boys ; day - days Ø Some nouns ending in -f, -fe drop the – f, -fe and add –ves : Leaf – leaves Wife – wives Knife – knives Loaf - loaves But : roof – roofs, cliff – cliffs , chief – chiefs, handkerchief – handkerchiefs. Ø
IRREGULAR PLURALS Some nouns form the plural by changing their vowel(s) : Man – men Woman – women Foot – feet Goose – geese Mouse – mice Tooth – teeth Louse – lice Ø A few nouns form the plural with – en : Child – children Ox – oxen Ø
• Some nouns have the same form in the singular and plural Sheep – two sheep Deer – two deer Salmon – two salmon Species – species Series – series Means – means Trout - trout But : fish is the normal plural of fish; fishes is also possible but less usual. We use fishes to talk about different kinds and species of fish. The usual plural of person is people ( not persons). We use peoples to talk about citizens of different couintries.
COMPOUND NOUNS Ø THEIR PLURAL FORM BY ADDING –S/ -ES TO THE SECOND NOUN IF THE COMPOUND CONSISTS OF TWO NOUNS : SHOPKEEPER – SHOPKEEPERS STEPFATHER - STEPFATHERS TO THE NOUN IF THE COMPOUND CONSISTS OF AN ADJECTIVE AND A NOUN : FRYING PAN – FRYING PANS WATER-BOTTLE – WATER-BOTTLERS TO THE FIRST NOUN IF THE COMPOUND CONSISTS OF TWO NOUNS CONNECTED WITH A PREPOSITION: SISTER-IN- LAW – SISTERS-IN -LAW AT THE END OF THE COMPOUND IF THISIS NOT MADE UP OF ANY NOUNS : BREAKDOWN – BREAKDOWNS HOLD-UP – HOLD-UPS
SOME NOUNS BORROWED FROM GREEK AND LATIN HAVE GREEK OR LATIN PLURAL ENDINGS. Origin Greek Singular Plural Singular(Plural) examples -a basis(bases), crisis (crises) Greek -is -on Latin -us -I radius(radii), alumnus(alumni), terminus(termini), stimulus (stimuli) Latin -a -ae alga(algae), vita(vitae) Latin -um -a datum ( data), medium (media) Latin -ix/-ex -ices Index(indices), appendix (appendices) criterion(criteria), phenomenon (phenomena)
Some nouns are always plural in form and take only plural verbs. thanks wages means Abstract (plural meaning) stairs police cattle people outskirts
Some nouns take only a plural verb. trousers pijarmas scissors pants spectacles Tools& instruiments clothes tights compasses jeans tweezers shorts glasses binoculars pliers
Some nouns take only a singular verb. (Uncountable nouns) Mass Nouns Fluids: coffee milk oil tea water blood juice Solids: Gases: bread butter coal food fruit ice meat iron air oxygen smoke smog steam pollution Particles: sugar dust rice pepper salt corn wheat sand flour hair
Uncountable nouns Languages : English Greek Chinese Spanish etc Types of meat : Beef Mutton Pork Venison etc Uncountable Natural phenomena: nouns Darkness Fog Hail Diseases : Heat light Cancer Snow sunshine Measles Weather Mumps Flu Games : Chess Billiards Golf Football Tennis athletics Subjects : Chemistry Economics Mathematics Physics Psychology
advice accomodation business knowledge luggage work progress Abstract nouns trouble education News music damage traffic information
rubbish applause behaviour laughter jewellery chaos Abstract nouns furniture countryside courage help evidence assistance anger
SOME NOUNS HAVE A DIFFERENT MEANING IN PLURAL SINGULAR PLURAL ØThe needle of a compass always points north. ØIt is an English custom to celebrate the Queen`s birthday. ØShe has a lot of experience working with children. ØYou can draw a perfect circle with compasses. ØWhen he got of the plane his bag was searched at Customs. ØWe had lots of exciting experiences on our journey through Africa. ØWould you like a glass of milk? ØHe can`t see very well without glasses. ØShe has got long, blonde hair. ØThere are two hairs in the soup! ØThey were shocked at the ØShe weighed hersrlf on the scale of the disaster. scales. ØThis door is made of wood. ØThe boy got lost in the woods. ØHe goes to work every day ØPicasso`s works are really except Sunday. fascinating.
Group nouns These nouns refer to a group of people. These nouns can take group either a singular or a plural verb depending on whether we see the group as a whole or as individuals. Ø Such group nouns are : army, audience, class, club, committee, crew, company, council, family, public, government, press, staff, team, jury, group, heardquarters, orchestra… Ø Ø Examples : Ø Ø Ø The team was the best in the company. ( the team as a group) The team were all given medals. ( each member separately as individuals) The government was elected a month ago. The government think they can solve the problem. My family are on holiday. The family is a very important part of the society.
Write the plural of the following nouns : 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. City - ……. . Brother-in law …… Headline ……… Photo - ……. . Bank robbery - …… Stepmother - …… Couch - …. . Dish - …… Tray - …. Roof - …. Sit- in - …. Hold-up - … Mouse - …. Tooth - …. . Shelf - …. . potato -… 17. sleeping pill - ……. . 18. calf -……. . 19. water-bottle -……. . 20. sunshade - ……. 21. trout -…… 22. cube - …… 23. species - …… 24. family -…… 25. deer - …. . 26. ox - ……. 27. piano - …. . 28. hero - …. . 29. church - …… 30. policeman -…… 16.
Fill in : is or are : 1. Where ……your trousers? 2. Could you tell me where the scissors………. . ? 3. Tonight, there……. athletics on TV. 4. Money ……. easy to spend and difficult to save. 5. Gloves ……worn in cold weather. 6. This student`s knowledge…. . amazing. 7. Love …. . the reason for much happiness in the world. 8. This bread ………stale/ 9. Your pijamas …. . on the bed. 10. My luggage…. . too heavy to carry. 11. My advice to you ……to stay in bed. 12. Physics ……. . my favourite subject. 13. Measles …. . a common illness. 15. The glasses…. in the cupboard. 16. Our bathroom scales……. quite accurate. 17. Darts ……. a popular game in England. 18. This work……too hard for me. 19. People ……. . unhappy with the new tax system. 20. The weather …. fine today.
Made by Pogodina E. O. Gymnasia № 2 Ramenskoye 20
The information is taken from these books. Ø English Grammar in Use. R. Murphy : Cambridge, 1994. - 350 p. Ø Grammar and Vocabulary. M. Mann, S. Taylore-Knowles : Macmillan, 2008. – 216 p. Ø Primary grammar. S. Cochrane: Macmillan, 2008. – 151 p.
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