THE NOUN - NUMBER
(1.Singular Number, 2.Plural Number)
Definition :
Numbers are often used before nouns to tell you exactly how many people or things there are.
Numbers are adjectives, too. They tell us how many people, animals, or things there are. Sometimes they are called adjectives of quantity.
e.g.
I have two childrens | We bought three books |
two princes | seven elves | sixteen snails |
one giant | a hundred | many more |
1. Singular Number :
Definition :
A noun that denotes only ONE person or thing is said to be in the SINGULAR NUMBER.
e.g.
2. Plural Number :
Definition :
A noun that denotes MORE THAN ONE person or thing is said to be in the PLURAL NUMBER.
e.g.
Formation of Plurals
The usual construction of plural nouns from singular nouns is to add -s to the end of a word.
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Bird | Birds | Boy | Boys |
Dog | Dogs | Chair | Chairs |
Cat | Cats | Table | Tables |
Cow | Cows | Desk | Desks |
Nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -o, -x, or -z form the plural by adding -es to the singular; as,
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Bus | Buses | Match | Matches |
Brush | Brushes | Tax | Taxes |
Mango | Mangoes | Hero | Heroes |
Buzz | Buzzes | Kis | Kisses |
A few nouns ending in -o merely add -s; as,
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Dynamo | Dynamos | Piano | Pianos |
Ratio | Ratios | Memento | Mementos |
Photo | Photos | Stereo | Siereos |
Logo | Logos | Canto | Cantos |
video | videos | zoo | zoos |
kangaroo | kangaroos | hippo | hippos |
Nouns ending in -y, preceded by a consonant, form their plural by changing –y into –i and adding –es,
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
City | Cities | Duty | Duties |
Baby | Babies | Lady | Ladies |
Army | Armies | Story | Stories |
Nouns ending in -y, preceded by a vowels, form their plural by adding –s to the singular,
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Boy | Boys | Day | Days |
Monkey | Monkeys | Key | Keys |
Toy | Toys | Way | Ways |
Nouns ending in -f or -fe form their plural by changing -for -fe into v and adding -es ; as,
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Calf | Calves | Thief | Thieves |
Leafe | Leaves | Knife | Knives |
Self | Selves | Wife | Wives |
some nouns that end in f are made plural simply by adding s.
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
chief | chiefs | handkerchief | handkerchiefs |
roof | roofs | cliff | cliffs |
Some nouns that end in f can be made plural in two ways.
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Plural |
scarf | scarfs | scarves |
hoof | hoofs | hooves |
wharf | wharfs | wharves |
dwarf | dwarfs | dwarves |
Irregular nouns :
A few nouns form their plural by changing the inside vowel of the singlar; as,
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Man | Men | Thief | Thieves |
Woman | Women | Tooth | Theeth |
Analysis | Analyses | Goose | Geese |
A few nous form their plural by adding –en to singular: as
e.g.
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Ox | Oxen | Child | children |
Some nouns have the singular and the plural alike.
e.g.
Sheep | Deer | Swine | Cod |
Trout | salmon | aircraft | spacecraft |
Series | species | pair | score |
Hundred | thousand (when used after numerals) | gross | |
Some nouns are used only in the plural.
These nouns are always plural.
e.g.
Scissors | Spectacles | Tongs | Trousers |
Drawers | Draughts | Jeans | pyjamas |
Mumps | Measles | Billiards | Assets |
thanks | tidings | aims | riches |
shorts | pants | binoculars | scissors |
Some nouns are used commonly in Singular.
The following nouns look plural but are in fact singular
e.g.
Civics | Maths | News | Physics |
electronics | measles | billiards | Politics |
Certain collective Nouns though singular in form, are always used as plurals: as
e.g.
poultry | cattle | people | gentry |
Some nouns given different meaning when they are in singular and plural.
e.g.
Singular | Meaning | Plural | Meaning |
Air | Gas around us | Airs | unnatural manners |
Good | Fine, nice | Goods | Luggage |
Copper | a kind of metal | Coppers | police men |
Wood | Timber | Woods | forest |
Compass | Range | Compasses | an instrument for drawing circles |
Respect | Regard | Respects | Compliments |
Physic | medicine | Physics | natural science |
Force | strength | Forces | troops |
The plural form for numbers and letters is made by adding apostrophe and s.
e.g.
do’s and don’ts | Two 2’s are four |