Properties of

NounsMr. Ezekiel D. Rodriguez

Properties of Nouns

1. Gender

2. Number

3. Case

Gender1. Masculine Gender for words

representing males: boy, man, duke, son.

2. Feminine Gender for words representing females: girl, woman, mother.

3. Neuter Gender for inanimate objects: table, book, umbrella, door.

4. Common Gender for either sex: student, reader, cousin, friend.

GenderMASCULINE FEMININE

Actor ActressBaron BaronessCount CountessDuke Duchess

Emperor EmpressGiant giantessHeir heiressHost hostessLion lioness

Manager manageressMaster mistress

murderer murderessPriest priestessPrince PrincessPoet poetess

Shepherd shepherdessSteward stewardess

Tiger tigressWaiter waitress

MASCULINE FEMININE

Bachelor spinster

Boy girl

Brother sister

Bull cow

Cock hen

Dog bitch

Drake duck

Father mother

Fox vixen

Friar nun

Gander goose

gentleman lady

Horse mare

Husband wife

King Queen

Lad lass

Lord lady

Lover mistress

Man woman

Monk nun

Nephew nice

Sir lady, madam

Son daughter

Tutor governess

Uncle aunt

Wizard witch

Numbers - Pluralization• A) The plural of nouns is

generally formed by adding "S" to the singular.

SINGULAR PLURAL

Book books

Girl girls

Hand hands

Table tables

Numbers - Pluralization• B) Add "ES" to nouns ending in

ch,s,sh,ss,x and z.

SINGULAR PLURAL

Church churches

Bus buses

Brush brushes

Kiss kisses

Box boxes

Buzz buzzes

Numbers - Pluralization• Add "S" to nouns ending

in ch which have the sound of k.

SINGULAR PLURAL

Epoch epochs

Monarch monarchs

Stomach stomachs

Numbers - Pluralization• C) Nouns ending in "y“ preceded

by a consonant: change the "y" into "IES", but if the "y" is preceded by a vowel, only "S" is added.

SINGULAR PLURAL

Lady ladies

Country countries

Boy boys

Day days

Numbers - Pluralization• D) Most nouns ending in “o”

preceded by a consonant, add "ES".

SINGULAR PLURAL

Echo echoes

Hero heroes

Potato potatoes

Numbers - Pluralization• D) Exemptions:

SINGULAR PLURAL

Dynamo dynamos

Halo halos

Photo photos

Piano pianos

Solo solos

Numbers - Pluralization• E) All nouns ending in "o“

preceded by a vowel take "S" in the plural.

SINGULAR PLURAL

Cuckoo cuckoos

Portfolio portfolios

Numbers - Pluralization• F) Nouns ending in "f“ or "fe“

drop the "f" or "fe" and add "VES".

SINGULAR PLURAL

Calf calves

Half halves

Knife knives

Leaf leaves

Life lives

Loaf loaves

Self selves

Sheaf sheaves

Shelf shelves

Thief thieves

Wife wives

Wolf wolves

Numbers - Pluralization• G) Nouns which retain their

original Greek or Latin forms make their plurals according to the rules of Greek or Latin.

SINGULAR PLURAL

Alumnus alumni

Crisis crises

Datum data

Erratum errata

Oasis oases

phenomenon phenomena

Stimulus stimuli

Terminus termini

Numbers - Pluralization• H) Irregular Plurals

SINGULAR PLURAL

Child children

Die dice

Foot feet

Goose geese

Louse lice

Man men

Mouse mice

Tooth teeth

Woman women

Numbers - Pluralization• I) Compound Nouns

1. Normally, the last word is made plural in compound nouns.

SINGULAR PLURAL

Armchair armchairs

Bookcase bookcases

Mailman mailmen

Numbers - Pluralization• I) Compound Nouns

2. Where man or woman come first, both parts are made plural.

SINGULAR PLURAL

manservant menservants

woman-teacher women-teachers

Numbers - Pluralization• I) Compound Nouns

3. Compound nouns formed with prepositions or adverbs make only the first word plural.

SINGULAR PLURAL

looker-on lookers-on

sister-in-law sisters-in-law

Numbers - Pluralization• I) Compound Nouns

4. Compounds finishing in "ful“ take "S".

SINGULAR PLURAL

handful Handfuls

spoonful Spoonfuls

Numbers - Pluralization• J) Some nouns in English are

used only in the singular form and so the verb remains in singular.

• Accommodation• Advice• Furniture• Information• Knowledge• News• progress

Numbers - Pluralization• K) Some nouns have the same

form for both plural and singular.• Deer• Fish• Series• Sheep• species

Numbers - Pluralization• L) The names of many sciences

ending in "ics“ are singular. The verb remains in the singular form.

Ethics Mathematics (Math) Phonetics

Physics Statistics Genetics

Numbers - Pluralization• M) The following nouns are

always plural and are followed by verbs in the plural:

alms bowels Contents

customs fireworks Goods

pants scissors Shears

spectacles stairs Thanks

trousers wages Wares

Numbers - Pluralization• Nouns denoting value, weight,

time, measure, etc., when used as adjectives are singular in form, as: 

•  a twelve pound book• a thirty day month• an eleven inch ruler • eight mile walk.

Case• The CASE of a noun indicates the

position of that noun in a sentence.

• Nominative case • Objective case (or Accusative case) • Dative case • Possessive case (or Genitive case) • Vocative case 

CaseNominative case: 

A noun is said to be in the Nominative case if it is the subject of a verb. (SUBJECT is the person or the thing who or which carries out the action of the verb in the sentence)

Examples:

Mr. Ram is an intelligent boy. 

CaseObjective case (or Accusative case):

Nouns or pronouns are said to be in Objective cases if they are the direct objects of verbs or if they are the objects of preposition. (Direct object is the person or the thing upon whom or upon which the action of the verb is carried out). 

Example: 

I met your sister. 

CaseDative case: 

A noun is said to be in dative case if it is the Indirect object of the verb. (Indirect object of the verb is the noun for whom or for which the action of the verb is carried out).  

Examples: 

The teacher gave the students few exercises. 

CasePossessive case (Genitive case): 

A noun is said to be in possessive case, if it denotes possession or ownership.

Examples: 

This is your pencil. 

CaseVocative case: 

A noun or a pronoun is said to be in Vocative case if it is used to call (or to get the attention of) a person or persons. 

Example: 

Mr. Bill, students are waiting for you in the main hall.