Nouns: NUMBERCourse – B.Sc.
Subject – English Communication and Life SkillsUnit – 1
Nouns: Number• Nouns: Number – A word which indicates
whether a noun is singular or plural is known as number.
• A noun has two numbers: a) The Singular Numberb) The Plural Number
Kinds of Nouns: Number• A noun that denotes one person or thing,
is said to be in the Singular Number; as, boy, book, pencil, tree, river, etc.
• A noun that denotes more than one person or thing, is said to be in the Plural Number; as boys, books, pencils, trees, rivers, etc.
• Thus, there are two numbers in English – the Singular and the Plural.
How are Plurals formed?
• Singular denotes ‘one’ and Plural denotes ‘more than one’.
RULE: 1• Nouns ending with ‘ch’, ‘sh’, ‘x’, ‘s’, ‘ss’ form their plurals by
adding “es” to the singular:• “es” is pronounced as ‘iz’Batch – batches Brush – brushes Box – boxes Glass – glasses
Branch – branches Dish – dishes Tax – taxes Class - Classes
Catch – catches Bush - bushes Fax - faxes Cross - crosses
Inch – inches Church – churches Sandwich – Sandwiches
Kiss – kisses
Patch – patches Match – matches Beach – beaches Lass - lasses
Torch – torches Peach – Peaches Crash – crashes Guess - guesses
Bench – benches Watch - watches Reflex – reflexes Address - addresses
Bunch – Bunches Ash - Ashes Virus – viruses Atlas – atlases
EXCEPTION TO RULE: 1• Ox – ends in x but we add “en” to make it Plural. • Ox – Oxen. Stomach – ends in ch but we add “s”
stomachs. • Other words:
Wax - waxes Fox – foxes Wish – Wishes Bus – Buses
Loss – Losses Pitch – Pitches Gas – Gases Dress - Dresses
RULE: 2• Nouns ending in “o” add “es” to make Plural.
Tomato – tomatoes Volcano – volcanoes
Potato – potatoes Motto – mottoes
Cargo – cargoes Avocado – avocadoes
Hero – heroes Domino – dominoes
Echo – echoes Dingo – dingoes
Buffalo – buffaloes Veto – vetoes
Mango – mangoes Embargo - embargoes
Mosquito - mosquitoes Negro - negroes
Cargo - Cargoes
Dingo - Dingoes
Domino - Dominoes Volcano - Volcanoes
Negro - Negroes
Avocado – Avocados/Avocadoes
Exceptions to Rule: 2Canto – Cantos Memento –
MementosCommando - Commandos
Kilo – Kilos Logo – Logos Bamboo – bamboos
Solo – Solos Ratio - Ratios Eskimo - Eskimos
Piano – Pianos Radio - Radios Kangaroo – Kangaroos
Photo – Photos Stereo – Stereos Video - Videos
Continued – Exceptions to Rule 2Zoo – zoos Patio – Patios Taco – Tacos
Casino – Casinos Zero – Zeros Sombrero - Sombreros
Sombrero - Sombreros
Taco - Tacos
Kangaroo - Kangaroos
Patio - Patios
Eskimo - Eskimos
RULE: 3• Nouns ending in ‘y’, preceded by a consonant, form
plural by removing ‘y’ and adding “ies”Lady - Ladies City - Cities Baby - Babies Army – Armies
Story - Stories Pony - Ponies Body - Bodies Country – Countries
Copy - Copies Cry - Cries Duty - Duties Family – Families
Diary – Diaries Fairy – fairies Fly - flies Reply – replies
Berry - berries Party - parties Jelly – Jellies Belly – Bellies
Cherry – cherries
Daisy - daisies Ferry - ferries Remedy – remedies
Exceptions to Rule: 3Day - days Ray - Rays Monkey – Monkeys
Play – plays Key - Keys Donkey - Donkeys
Boy - boys Delay - delays Toy – toys
Joy - Joys Chimney - Chimneys Valley - Valleys
RULE: 4• Nouns which end in ‘f’ or ‘fe’ add “ves” to
make plural:Leaf – Leaves Wife - Wives Life - Lives Thief – thieves
Loaf - Loaves Half - Halves Calf - Calves Knife – Knives
Self - Selves Wolf - Wolves Shelf - Shelves Elf - Elves
EXCEPTION TO RULE: 4Chief - Chiefs Handkerchief -
handkerchiefsDwarf – dwarfs
Belief - beliefs Roof - roofs Proof – proofs
Cliff - Cliffs Gulf - gulfs Safe – Safes
Cuff – cuffs Giraffe – Giraffes Reef – reefs
Hoof – hoofs Earmuff - earmuffs Dandruff – dandruffs
Cliff - Cliffs Reef - Reefs
Gulf - Gulfs Earmuff - Earmuffs
Dandruff - Dandruffs Hoof - Hoofs
Important• Sometimes a word may completely change its
form when a plural is made:Child - children Man - men Woman – women Goose - geese Mouse - mice Louse – liceTooth - teeth Foot - feet Person – people
Fungi - fungus Datum - data Cactus – CactiRadius - radii Formula –
formulae/formulasAgendum –
agendaBrother - brethren Medium - Media Syllabus –
Syllabi/syllabuses
Some words may same the same in their Singular and Plural forms:
Deer - Deer Sheep - Sheep Scissors – Scissors
News - News Information - Information Series – Series
Trousers - Trousers Socks - Socks Shorts – Shorts
Goods - Goods Valuable - Valuables Spectacles – Spectacles
Surroundings - Surroundings
Eatables - Eatables Billiards – Billiards
Wages - Wages Rice - rice Luggage – Luggage
Furniture - Furniture Dozen – dozen Hundred – hundred
Thousand – thousand Water - Water Jeans – Jeans
Exercise 1This - These
• This is a box.• These are boxes.• This is a lady.• These are ladies.• This is a story.• These are stories• This is a knife.• These are knives.
That - Those• That is a potato.• Those are potatoes.• That is a pen.• Those are pens.• That is a buffalo.• Those are buffaloes.• That is a leaf.• Those are leaves.
Exercise 2One - Many
• One glass – many glasses.• One dish – many dishes.• One tomato – many
tomatoes.• One army – many armies.• One wife – many wives.• One pencil – many pencils.• One mouse – many mice.• One louse – many lice.
One - Some• One school – some schools.• One brush – some brushes.• One watch – some watches.• One mango – some mangoes.• One hero – some heroes.• One city – some cities.• One match – some matches.• One mosquito – some
mosquitoes.
Exercise 3There is … • There is one branch in this
tree.• There is a sharpener on the
table.• There is an eraser in my bag.• There is a cow in the field.• There is a leaf on the road.• There is a mobile in the
shop.
There are …• There are many/few
branches in this tree.• There are many/some
sharpeners on the table.• There are erasers in my bag.• There are cows in the field.• There are leaves on the road.• There are mobiles in the
shop.
Recourses/References • Advanced English Grammar by Wren and Martine• https://www.google.co.in/search?q=images+noun+plural+and+singular&biw• www.google.co.in/search?q=images+noun+plural+and+singular • www.google.co.in/search
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