Nouns and Number

Nouns and Number :



Nouns can be singular or plural. Only countable nouns can have a plural form. The plural of the nouns can be formed in various ways.

by adding s

1. car - cars
   
2. dog - dogs
   
3. nail — nails
   
4. hat - hats
   
5. window - windows
   
6. umbrella – umbrellas
   

for nouns ending in s, ss, sh, ch, o and x - by adding es

1. box — boxes
   
2. bus — buses
   
3. bush - bushes
   
4. dress - dresses
   
5. match - matches
   
6. mosquito – mosquitoes
   

However, some nouns that end in o take an s in the plural form.

1. cuckoo - cuckoos
   
2. piano — pianos
   
3. photo — photos
   
4. radio - radios
   
5. stereo — stereos
   

for nouns ending in f or fe - by removing the f or fe and adding ves

1. knife - knives
   
2. leaf — leaves
   
3. thief — thieves
   
4. wife – wives
   

However some nouns ending in f take an s in the plural form.

1. chief - chiefs
   
2. gulf -gulfs
   
3. proof - proofs
   
4. roof – roofs
   
5. (but hoof - hooves)
   

for nouns ending in y - by removing the y and adding ies

1. baby - babies
   
2. lady - ladies
   
3. pony - ponies
   

However, words like day, boy, key, monkey and donkey take an s.

1. boy - boys
   
2. day — days
   
3. donkey - donkeys
   
4. key - keys
   
5. monkey — monkeys
   

Some nouns change their complete form in the plural.

1. child - children
   
2. foot - feet
   
3. goose - geese
   
4. man - men
   
5. woman — women
   
6. louse - lice
   
7. mouse - mice
   
8. tooth — teeth
   
9. (but house - houses)
   

In compound nouns or nouns that are made up of two words, the main word changes to the plural.

1. fountain pen - fountain pens
   
2. passer-by - passers-by
   
3. water bottle — water bottles
   
4. grown-up — grown-ups
   
5. daughter-in-law — daughters-in-law
   
6. runner-up — runners-up
   
7. commander-in-chief - commanders-in-chief
   

Some nouns remain the same in the plural.

1. sheep—sheep
   
2. articles of dress - shoes, socks, jeans, trousers
   
3. tools - scissors, pliers, tongs
   
4. subjects - Civics, Mathematics, Physics, Economics
   
5. diseases - mumps, measles
   
6. sports - billiards, athletics, gymnastics
   
7. other nouns - innings, wages, news, spectacles
   

Some nouns remain the same in the plural form if they are used to denote many of the same kind, but change if they are used to denote many of different species.

1. one fish - many fish (if they are all of the same species)
   
2. one fish — many fishes (if they belong to different species)
   
3. grass — grass (an uncountable noun, hence does not change in the plural form, if the grass is of the same kind)
   
4. grass - grasses (if the grasses are of various kinds)
   
5. one fruit - many fruit (if they are all of the same kind)
   
6. one fruit - many fruits (if they belong to different kinds)
   

RELATED PAGES :

1. The Noun
   
2. Kinds of Nouns
   
3. Kinds of Nouns in English
   
4. Types of Nouns in English
   
5. Correct Usage of Nouns
   
6. Classification of Nouns
   
7. Proper Nouns
   
8. Common Nouns
   
9. Abstract Nouns
   
10. Collective Nouns
    
11. Nouns of Multitude
    
12. Material Nouns
    
13. Compound Nouns
    
14. Concrete Nouns
    
15. Countable Nouns
    
16. Uncountable Nouns
    
17. Count Nouns
    
18. Mass Nouns
    
19. Pronouns
20. Abstract Nouns formed from Adjectives
    
21. Abstract Nouns formed from Common Nouns
    
22. Abstract Nouns formed from Verbs
    
23. Abstract Nouns of the same form as Verbs
    
24. Absolute Phrases
    
25. Noun and Gender
    
26. Nouns and Gender
    
27. Masculine Nouns and Feminine Nouns
    
28. Masculine Nouns
    
29. Feminine Nouns
    
30. Ways of forming the feminine of nouns
    
31. Exceptional Masculine Nouns and Feminine Nouns
    
32. Exceptional Feminine Nouns
    
33. Foreign Feminine Nouns
    
34. Nouns in Common Gender
    
35. Common Gender Nouns
    
36. Neuter Pronouns
    
37. Neuter Gender Nouns
    
38. Gender of Personified Things
    
39. Noun and Case
    
40. Kinds of Cases in English
    
41. Noun and Number
    
42. Singular and Plural
    
43. Singular Nouns and Plural Nouns
    
44. Ways of forming plurals
    
45. Formation of Plurals
    
46. Compound Nouns and Plurals
    
47. Noun Infinitive
    
48. Noun to Verb
    
49. The Noun
    

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