Majority teaching aids offers an analysis of the topic of the singular and plural according to the categories of parts of speech: noun, verb, pronoun. We have prepared for you an unusual excursion into the world of numbers. Today we’ll talk about the most common cases and the rules of “multiplication” in general, consider similar in appearance, but different in grammatical functions, changes in different parts of speech, as well as some exceptions (sometimes it seems that English is one big exception), and we will try to apply all this in the "natural environment".
Singular in English language (singular/sg) designates or characterizes one subject:
a game
-self
this/that
he loves
Plural (plural/pl) is used when the number of items is more than one:
two cups of coffee
-selves
these/those
they love
Ending -s/ -es
The ending -s- is one of the most common surviving endings in English and is an indicator of number. If a word ends in a hissing sound s/ ss/ x/ sh/ ch, it acquires the ending -es(this is due to a more convenient pronunciation and does not visually lead to a heap of hissing):
to match - it matches
to wash - she washes
a fox - foxes
a dress - dresses
From the examples above, you can see that:
he loves- singular
two cups - plural
The question arises - why?
The thing is that in the examples above, the ending -s- appears in different parts of speech.
The number category of verbs is active only in the present tense. The exception is to be in the temporary form Past Simple (was/were).
In this way at verbs the ending -s/ -es indicates the use of the singular.
e.g.
Pl. vs. Sg.
we go - she goes
I spell - he spells(It should be noted that in present simple pronoun I makes grammatical connections according to the plural principle with verbs and has a special form to be).
they say - it says
Nouns the reverse principle applies. The ending is an indicator of plurality.
eg.
Sg. vs. Pl.
a ticket - tickets
a bus - buses
a college - colleges
Words that end in -y-
The principle of change / non-change -y- operates in English regardless of the part of speech. It should be remembered:
* if -y- is preceded by a vowel, in the plural, the ending -s- is added to the word, and the letter -y- is retained:
a ray - rays
to buy - she buys
* if -y- is preceded by a consonant, in the plural the letter -y- is changed to -ie-, followed by a plural ending:
to try - he tries
sky - skies
Now let's talk about special cases of changing the number, characteristic only for a certain part of speech.
Nouns in singular and plural
In addition to the cases that we considered earlier, there are “special” numerical formations.
1. Changing the word form.
There are a number of words that form the plural form by changing the root vowels, sometimes the change affects the entire word form. These examples are not numerous. They are often singled out as exceptions. Let's list them:
man - men(and derivatives - fireman - firemen/ policeman - policemen)
woman/ˈwumən/ – women/ˈwɪmɪn/ (and derivatives - policewomen)
tooth-teeth
foot - feet
goose-geese
mouse - mice
louse-lice
child - children
ox-oxen
Also in English there are a number of nouns that are written and pronounced the same regardless of their number - their forms are absolutely identical:
sheep-sheep/ sheep - sheep
swine – swine/ pig - pigs
deer – deer/ deer - deer
grouse – grouse/ black grouse, partridge - black grouse
series-series/ series - series
species - species/ view - views ( species of butterflies- species of butterflies)
corps/kɔːr/ – corps/ type of army
2. Borrowing
There is a fairly capacious category of borrowed words that have retained changes in the endings of their mother tongue in the formation of plural forms. Most often these are words of Latin and Greek origin:
Sg. vs. Pl.
-us/ -i(cactus - cacti/ˈkæktaɪ/) - cactus
-on/ -a(phenomenon - phenomena)
-is/ -es(crisis-crises)
-um/ -a(datum - data)
-ex/ -ices (index - indices)
-a/ -ae(formula - formulae)
In colloquial speech, these words do not constitute a daily minimum, but can be found in any situation.
3. “Numeric preferences”
In English, you can find nouns that are used only in the singular or only in the plural. Exceptions again! Most often this uncountable nouns or concepts that already contain a quantity in their meaning.
Singular forever. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that these nouns are recommended to be learned and remembered, since they can be found in almost any area of our life, and the principle by which they formed their attachment to the singular is often quite arbitrary.
money
hair(in the meaning of “hair” / can be plural in the meaning of “hair”, “hairs”)
news
information
knowledge
weather
work
advice
bread
furniture
music
progress
Words that lay in their meaning a certain amount ( dozen- a dozen / score- ten / head- when counting cattle by head) both numbers are allowed, but with numerals they are used only in the singular:
three dozen roses
Plural prefer paired items (scissors- scissors, pants- pants, spectacles- glasses, glasses- points, etc.), some geographical names ( The Netherlands, The Phillipines, The High Lands, etc.)
There are words that cannot be grouped, which should only be remembered:
police
people- people (it is possible to use “ a person” in the singular)/ a “ people - peoples” means people - peoples
clothes
contents
wages
riches- wealth
manners
customs
outskirts
proceeds
goods
Verbs in singular and plural
we can - she can
you must - he must
The verb to be has a special relationship with numerical changes. It has specific shapes for each face - am/ is/ are(in present tense) and were/were(in the past time).
we are - he is
they were - it was
Pronouns in singular and plural
In English personal pronouns and their possessive forms have the category of number:
Sg. vs. Pl.
I-we
it - they
he-they
she-they
my - our
You always presented in the plural, although it is possible to meet the singular form Thou/ðaʊ/, which is used when referring to God.
In this case, most pronouns either completely change the word form, or imply a certain number, by analogy with the Russian language:
every- each (sg.)
all- all (pl.)
A special case of plural changes occurs in reflexive and demonstrative pronouns.
Reflexive pronouns contain a morpheme in the word -self, which in the plural will take the form -selves:
myself - myself
yourself - yourselves
himself - theirselves
Demonstrative pronouns also acquire new characteristics in sound and spelling:
this - these
that - those
We wish you intensive entertaining practice and success!
Victoria Tetkina
Today we will learn everything about the formation of the plural in English. It would seem that it is enough to add -s to the end of the word, and the plural form of the noun is ready! But not everything is so simple. Let's figure it out.
A noun is a part of speech that denotes an object (a chair - a chair), a person (a child - a child), an animal (a cat - a cat), a substance (milk - milk), a phenomenon (rain - rain) or an abstract concept (happiness - happiness).
It is important to remember that the plural or singular form of a noun is also important for agreeing the subject (who?/what?) with the predicate (what does he do?). With countable nouns, we use the singular or plural form of the verb. And with uncountable nouns, we use the verb only in the singular.
Kids are curious. - Children curious.
My kid is curious. - My child curious.
The milk is too hot for me. - Milk too hot for me.
So that the rules for the formation of the plural are not forgotten, but firmly settled in the head, they need to be practiced in practice. To do this, sign up for.
Basic rules for plural formation in English
There are several ways to form the plural of countable nouns in English:
- The most common rule is to add the ending -s to a noun in the singular:
an apple - apples (apple - apples)
a pen - pens (pen - pens)
a problem - problems (problem - problems)We pronounce the -s ending as /z/ after voiced consonants or vowels. For example: dogs /dɒɡz/ (dogs), hands /hændz/ (hands), keys /kiːz/ (keys).
If the word ends in a voiceless consonant, then the ending -s is pronounced as /s/. For example: lamps /læmps/ (lamps), myths /mɪθs/ (myths), skirts /skɜːts/ (skirts).
- If the word ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, or -x, then the -es ending must be added to form the plural.
a bus - buses (bus - buses)
a dress - dresses (dress - dresses)
a brush - brushes (brush - brushes)
a watch - watches (hours - several hours)
a box - boxes (box - boxes)In this case, we pronounce the ending -es as /iz/. For example: glasses /ɡlɑːsiz/ (glasses), boxes /bɒksiz/ (boxes).
Let's listen to blogger Rachel's pronunciation:
- If the word ends in -o, then the ending can be -es or -s. To choose the right one, it is better to consult a dictionary.
Ending -es:
a tomato - tomatoes (tomato - tomatoes)
a hero - heroes (hero - heroes).Ending -s:
a kilo - kilos (kilogram - kilograms)
a photo - photos (photo - photos) - If a word ends in -y preceded by a consonant, the plural ending is -ies.
a cherry - cherries (cherry - cherries)
a lady - ladies (lady - several ladies)
a puppy - puppies (puppy - puppies)But if the -y is preceded by a vowel, then nothing needs to be changed - just add the ending -s.
a boy - boys (boy - boys)
a day - days (day - days)
a monkey - monkeys (monkey - monkeys) - There are a number of nouns that change the plural from -f/-fe to -ves. These exceptions include the following words:
a calf - calves (calves of the legs - calves of the legs)
an elf - elves (elf - elves)
a shelf - shelves (shelf - shelves)
a half - halves (half - halves)
a knife - knives (knife - knives)
a thief - thieves (thief - thieves)
a leaf - leaves (leaf - leaves)
a life - lives (life - lives)
a loaf - loaves (loaf - loaves)
a wife - wives (wife - wives)
a wolf - wolves (wolf - wolves).And words such as a dwarf (dwarf, dwarf), a hoof (hoof), a scarf (scarf), a wharf (pier) in the plural can have both -fs and -ves endings.
- There are a number of nouns whose plural form is easy to memorize.
a person - people (person - people)
a man - men (man - men)
a woman - women (woman - women)
a child - children (child - children)
a foot - feet (foot - feet)
a tooth - teeth (tooth - teeth)
a goose - geese (goose - geese)
a mouse - mice (mouse - mice)
a louse - lice (louse - lice)
an ox - oxen (bull - bulls) - And one more group - nouns, the forms of which in the singular and plural are the same. Here is some of them:
a sheep - sheep (sheep - sheep)
a swine - swine (pig - pigs)
an aircraft - aircraft (aircraft - aircraft)
a means - means (means - means)
a crossroads - crossroads (crossroads - intersections)
a series - series (series - series)
Special cases of plural formation in English
- Uncountable nouns in English
What if we still need to indicate the plurality of something uncountable? In this case, before the noun itself, it is necessary to put words indicating its quantity:
- Capacity, container:
two cartons of juice - two boxes of juice
three bottles of wine - three bottles of wine
four cups of tea - four cups of tea
five glasses of water - five glasses of water
six jars of jam - six jars of jam
seven boxes of cereal - seven boxes of cereal
eight cans of coke - eight cans of cola
nine tins of tuna - nine tins of tuna
ten tubes of toothpaste - ten tubes of toothpaste - Unit of measurement:
two kilos of sugar - two kilograms of sugar
three liters of petrol - three liters of gasoline
four pounds of butter - four pounds of butter
five meters of cable - five meters of cable - Unit (of products, goods):
three loaves of bread - three slices of bread
four bars of chocolate - four bars of chocolate
five slices of cheese - five slices of cheese
If you can't find a unit for an uncountable noun, use the piece of construction.
He gave me three pieces of advice. - He gave me three tips.
Note the nouns where the -s ending does not indicate plural, as they are uncountable nouns.
gymnastics - gymnastics
billiards - billiards
measles - measles
maths - mathematicsMeasles is an infectious disease. - Measles- infection.
Gymnastics is my favorite sport. - Gymnastics- My favorite sport. - Capacity, container:
- Nouns that are used only in the plural. Accordingly, these words are used with the verb in the plural.
police - police
cattle - cattle
clothes - clothes
stairsThe police are looking for the robbers. - The police are looking for robbers.
Also, nouns that are used only in the plural include objects consisting of two parts - paired. Most often these are tools, clothes and accessories.
jeans - jeans
trousers - trousers
pajamas (BrE), pajamas (AmE) - pajamas
tights - pantyhose
pliers - pliers
pincers - tongs
shears - secateursTo form the plural of paired nouns, use the phrase pairs of (pairs).
She wants to try on a few more pairs of sunglasses before the purchase. - Before buying, she wants to try on more several pairs of sunglasses.
You should have at least two pairs of binoculars for birdwatching. - You must have at least two pairs of binoculars for bird watching. - Collective nouns
Collective nouns denote a group of people or things that are considered as a whole. With such nouns, we can use the verb in both the singular and the plural.
staff - staff
a team - team
a crew - crew
a family - family
a company - companyMost of the time it doesn't matter which number you choose, but sometimes one of the forms is more appropriate for the context. It all depends on whether you are talking about the group as a whole (singular) or considering each member of the group separately (plural).
The team was playing well. - Team played well.
The team were playing well. - Everyone on the team played well.My family is very important to me. - My family very important to me.
My family are going away next weekend. - All members of my family leaving next weekend.
We hope you remember everything about the formation of the plural of nouns in English. And if in doubt about choosing the right form, refer to. You will find more topics in our series of articles "" and "".
We invite you to pass our test to consolidate the material.
Test on the topic "Plural of nouns in English"
In English, there are two numbers of nouns, as in Russian: singular and plural (in some languages it happens differently). At first glance, it may seem that the plural of nouns in English is formed according to some difficult, incomprehensible rules. In fact, everything is simple, since in most cases the plural is formed according to the basic rule, and the rest of the cases are quickly remembered with practice.
Rules for the formation of plural nouns in English
1. Basic rule
In most cases, the plural of nouns in English (plural) is formed using the ending -s. Pay attention to how this ending is pronounced:
- After vowels and voiced consonants - like [z],
- After deaf consonants - like [s].
However, if you get confused in the pronunciation of -s at the end of a word, you will surely be understood.
2. Nouns with -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, -ss
What if the word already ends with – s? In this case (for greater harmony and ease of pronunciation), you need to add -es. The same goes for the words -ss,-sh, – ch, – x, -z.
The ending -es helps to pronounce combinations of sounds that would be difficult to pronounce without it. Let me remind you -es added at the end of words -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z. Imagine what it would be like without -es:
watchs, matches, boxes, buss (!), classes (!!!)
Agree, it is much easier to pronounce the words:
watches, matches, boxes, buses, classes.
3. Nouns with a consonant + y
consonant + ending -y, then -y changes to -ies .
If the noun ends in vowel + ending -y, then to -y added -s. In other words, the plural is formed according to the basic rule.
4. Nouns ending in -o
If the noun ends in -o, you need to add -es.
Exceptions:
- photo - photos (photo),
- memo - memos (reminder).
- piano - pianos (piano),
5. Nouns ending in -f, -fe
In nouns ending in -f or - fe, need to replace -f or - fe on the -ves.
6. Table: plural nouns in English
This image is a summary of the rules for pluralizing a noun.
Special cases of plural formation in English
English has exceptions to the plural rules. Most of them concern rather rare words, it is most important to remember the cases from the first paragraph (man - men, woman - women, etc.), since they are the most frequent.
1. Main exceptions: the plural is not formed according to the general rules
A number of nouns form the plural in a non-standard way:
Note: the word women is read as [ˈwɪmɪn].
2. Plural and singular forms match
Some nouns have the same plural and singular forms. These include:
3. Nouns used only in the singular
As in Russian, some nouns in English are used only in the singular or plural. These include:
1. Abstract, uncountable nouns
- Knowledge - knowledge,
- Love - love,
- Friendship - friendship,
- Information - information,
2. Names of sciences, academic disciplines on -ics
Although they end in -s, these words are used in the singular.
- Econics - economics,
- Physics - physics,
- Aerobics - aerobics,
- Classics - classical literature.
3. And others
- Money - money,
- Hair - hair.
3. Nouns used only in the plural
As in Russian, many names of paired objects do not have a singular
- Pants - trousers,
- Scissors - scissors,
- Glasses - glasses (for the eyes, not glasses in the game),
Some words that are used in English only in the plural are used in Russian in the plural and singular:
- Goods - goods, goods.
- Clothes - clothes.
Note: clothes is or clothes are?
Difficulty with words often clothes - clothes. Should it be used as singular or plural? How to write correctly: clothes is or clothes are?
We are used to the fact that “clothes” is the singular in Russian, so we strive to use the English clothes in the Russian manner, as if it were a noun in the singular, but this is a mistake. In English, this word is plural and is used accordingly:
- Not properly: Your clothes are so dirty. Your clothes are so dirty.
- Correctly: Your clothes are so dirty. Your clothes are so dirty.
4. Plural of compound nouns
Compound nouns are made up of more than one word and can be written:
- Separately or through a hyphen: mother-in-law(mother-in-law), assistant headmaster(Assistant School Principal).
- Slitno: post man(postman), school boy(schoolboy).
In separate compound nouns, as a rule, the plural form is taken by the word that has the main meaning:
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According to the basic rule, the plural of nouns in English is formed by adding the ending to the end of the word -s or –es(if the noun ends in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, and also for a number of nouns of Spanish origin ending in -o, like tomato, mosquito, potato, hero, veto: tomato - tomatoes).
In nouns ending in a letter -y with a preceding consonant, y changes to i and adds -es: lady - ladies, party - parties. If the letter -y is preceded by a vowel, then just -s is added: boy - boys.
In the words calf, half, knife, leaf, life, loaf, self, sheaf, shelf, thief, wife, wolf, plural f changes to v+(e)s: shelf - shelves.
Some nouns, due to historical reasons, have other ways of constructing the plural: man - men, woman - women, tooth - teeth, foot - feet, goose - geese, mouse - mice, louse - lice, child - children, ox - oxen, brother - brethren(brethren).
Now let's look at some special cases. You can practice using them and learn more during individual lessons with your teacher.
1. Collective nouns. They can be viewed as a single indivisible whole or as a collection of individuals, objects. These include words such as class, team, crew, staff, group, army, team, committee, audience, family etc. If collective nouns designate a group as a single collective, then the verb-predicate is used in the singular form, for example: His family was large. If collective nouns denote individual representatives that make up a group, then the verb-predicate is used in the plural form, for example: My family are early risers. (Members of my family get up early).
Among the collective nouns there are words that are always perceived as a set - nouns of multitude. It: people, police, militia, clothes, cattle, poultry. They are used with plural verbs ( e.g. The police were on duty).
Noun people in the meaning of "people" has the meaning of a plural person: People are so mean here. However, in the meaning of "people" it can be used both in the singular and in the plural: UNO helps all people of the world.
2. Uncountable nouns agree with the predicate in the singular. These are nouns: meat, tea, butter, bread, juice, weather, accommodation, advice, permission, behavior, chaos, damage, furniture, luggage, baggage, news, knowledge, scenery, traffic, work, luck, research, progress, information etc.
3. Nouns that have the same singular and plural form. Some of them end in -s: species, series, means (e.g. That species is rare. those species are common). The other part never ends in -s: sheep, deer, fish (e.g. That deer is young. Those deer are old).
4. Nouns that do not have a plural form. It:
- names of sciences and sports: mathematics, physics, economics, statistics, ethics, gymnastics ( e.g. Physics was his favorite subject);
- some abstract nouns: news, politics ( e.g. What is the news?);
- name of diseases: measles, mumps, herpes.
5. In compound nouns only the second element usually takes the plural form: housewives, schoolchildren.
In compound nouns with the first element man/woman in the plural, both parts change: women-writers, gentlemen-farmers.
In words with the component -man, it changes to -men: policeman - policemen.
If parts of a compound word are written with a hyphen, then the key component is put in the plural form: man-of-war - men-of-war; hotel-keeper – hotel-keepers.
If there is no noun element in the compound word, then to form the plural, you need to add -s to the last element: forget-me-nots, drop-outs.
6. Nouns denoting objects, bipartite, are used only in the plural form, for example: scissors, trousers, jeans, shorts, pajamas, spectacles, scales. Similar words are often used in the phrase a pair of -s, for example: a pair of scissors, a pair of trousers, etc..
7. The nouns hair, money, knowledge, information, progress are used only in the singular form ( e.g. His hair was grey. The money is on the table).
8. Expression a number of agrees with the plural verb, and the number of requires a singular verb ( e.g. The number of people we need to hire is thirteen. A number of people have written about this subject).
9. Nouns Latin and Greek origin:
Is > -es (Greek) basis, crisis, hypothesis, analysis, thesis, axis ( e.g. The hypothesis were supported by the data)
-on > -a (Greek) criterion, phenomenon ( e.g. These phenomena follow the Newton Law)
-us > -i (lat.) radius, alumnus, nucleus, genius
-a > -ae (lat.) formula, vita
-um > -a (lat.) datum, medium, bacterium
-ix /-ex > -ices (lat.) index, appendix
10. Words like dozen, score (ten), couple, pair, stone (stone weight measure), head (cattle head) have both forms of the number, but if they are used together with a specific numeral, they remain in the singular: e.g. four dozen eggs, two score tables. If they are used in the meaning of "many", then they take the form of the plural: e.g. scores of people, dozens of boxes.
In general, the plural of nouns in English is formed according to strict and simple rules. However, there are some nuances and exceptions here, which it will be useful for you to know.
Basic Rules for Plural Formation
The plural of most nouns is formed by adding the ending to the word - s. For example:
- cup - cup s
- pen-pen s
- page - page s
- daughter-daughter s
However, if the word ends with -ch, -x, -s, -sh, the ending is added to it -es.
- ben ch-bench es
- fo x fox es
- cla ss class es
- bru sh- brush es
Most nouns ending in a consonant +o, also form the plural with the ending -es.
- he ro— hero es
- pota to- potato es
- toma to- tomato es
However, words of Spanish or Italian origin that end in -o, just added -s.
- photo o— photo s
- pian o— piano s
- tang o— tango s
- study o studio s
For nouns that end in -z, added -zes.
In nouns that end in a consonant +y, discarded y and added -ies. For example:
- co py- cop ies
- hob by— hobb ies
- s ky— sk ies
Most nouns of Latin origin that end in -is, discarded -is and added -es. For example:
- bass is- bass es
- Cris is— cris es
- oas is— oas es
Most nouns that end in -f or -fe, discarded f and added -ves. For example:
- wi fe— wi weight
- shell f shel weight
- lea f— lea weight
But this is not a strict rule:
- belief - beliefs (believes is a verb)
- chief-chiefs
- reef - reefs
- proof - proofs
- cliff - cliffs
- safe - safes (saves is a verb)
Exceptions to the rules
There are many common nouns that have an irregular plural form: the plural of such nouns is formed in a non-standard way.
These include most nouns denoting people. For example:
- woman-women
- child - children
- brother - brethren (meaning "brothers")
Other exception nouns:
- foot - feet
- teeth
- goose—geese
- mouse-mice
Some nouns have the same singular and plural form. For example:
- sheep-sheep
- fruit - fruit
- aircraft - aircraft
- series - series
In the plural, they require the appropriate form of the verb (are / were):
- There is a fruit in the vase. — There are some fruits in the vase.
- There was a sheep in the field. — There were a lot of sheep in the field.
In turn, uncountable nouns (money, news, advice, information) do not have a plural form and agree with the singular verb ( is/was):
- There is a lot of news in your letter.
- There was some money on the table.
Some nouns (scissors, glasses, trousers, tweezers, pajamas, etc.) are only plural and require the appropriate form of the verb ( are / were). For example:
- Where are my new trousers? they were on the chair.
Nouns that come from obsolete forms English words or are of foreign origin, often have a non-standard plural form:
- ox-oxen
- index - indices or indexes
In compound nouns, the plural ending is usually added to the main component. For example:
- mother-in-law s-in law
- hotel-keeper s
Words ending in -us
Linguists can argue for hours about plural nouns that end in -us. Many of these words are borrowed from Latin and retain their Latin plural form, where the -us ending is changed to -i (pronounced [-ʌɪ] or [-iː]). However, not all such words are of Latin origin, and not all Latin words end in -i in the plural, hence the controversy. For example:
- The plural of virus is virus. es, not viri.
Some take the regular English ending -es: campus - campus es; bonus - bonus es.
Some Latin borrowings take the ending -i: radius - radi i, stimulus - stimulus i.
If you want to puzzle a linguist, ask him if the plural of crocus is crocuses or croci. Or is the plural of octopus octopuses, octopi, or octopodes?
Words in the singular
Uncountable nouns are used only in the singular.