Introduction To English Nouns - part 3

Introduction to Nouns – part 3Introduction to Nouns – part 3

Singular vs. Plural NounsSingular vs. Plural Nouns

• SINGULAR vs. PLURAL NOUNS

In English plurals are formed by adding –s to the singular noun:

one pen two pens

one bulb two bulbs

one lesson two lessons

• SINGULAR vs. PLURAL NOUNS

If the singular noun ends in:

-s -sh -tch -x -o, the plural is formed by adding –es:

one bus two buses

one brush two brushes

one kiss two kisses

one notch two notches

one box two boxes

one tomato two tomatoes

REMEMBER!

• Words of foreign origin or abbreviated (shortened) words ending in

-o, take ‘s’ only:

one kilo two kilos (shortened from ‘kilogram’)

one kimono two kimonos (foreign word)

one photo two photos (shortened from ‘photograph’)

one piano two pianos (foreign word)

one soprano two sopranos (foreign word)

• SINGULAR vs. PLURAL NOUNS

If the singular noun ends in a consonant + (-y),

in the plural,

-y changes to –ie + s:

one story (‘r’ + y) two stories

one country (‘r’ +y) two countries

one baby (‘b’ + y) two babies

BUT:

one boy (‘o’ + y) two boys

• SINGULAR vs. PLURAL NOUNS

If the singular noun ends in:

-f

(except –ff) or -fe in the plural, –f changes to –v + es: one wife two wivesone life two livesone knife two knivesone half two halves

‘I respect myself.‘They respect themselves’

• SINGULAR vs. PLURAL NOUNS

Some nouns are always plural:

TROUSERS GLASSES SCISSORS SHEEP

• SINGULAR vs. PLURAL NOUNS

COLLECTIVE NOUNS like crew, family, team, staff can behave

– as singular if the people are treated as a unit:

• ‘Our team is working very hard to meet the deadline.’

– as plural if the people are treated as individuals:

• ‘Our team are getting drunk in the pub down the road.’

REMEMBER!

• The word ‘police’ is always plural and always takes a plural verb:

‘The police are investigating a series of allegations of fraud against Mr Archer.’

• SINGULAR vs. PLURAL NOUNS

Common IRREGULAR PLURALS:

one mouse many mice

one tooth many teeth

one foot many feet

one child many children

one man many men

one woman many women

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