Problems with NounsProblems with NounsSingular or Plural????Singular or Plural????

Woman?

Womans?Women?

IntroductionIntroductionProblems with Nouns

Look at the sentences below. What’s wrong? Move your

mouse over each sentence to see the answer.

1. I have three bedroom in my house.

2. There are many milks in the refrigerator.

3. Those chair are in the wrong room.

4. There are five reds cars.

5. Some of the class are at night.

6. Your childs are beautiful.

7. Would you like a few milk?

“Bedrooms” should be plural because the sentence says there are three.

“Bedrooms” should be plural because the sentence says there are three.The word “milks” is

incorrect, because it is a non-count noun and cannot have an –s.

The word “milks” is incorrect, because it is a non-count noun and cannot have an –s.

Guideline #1Guideline #1Count and Non-Count Nouns

In English, we have countable and non-countable nouns. Some examples of countable and non-countable nouns arebelow.

Countable Nouns Non-Countable Nouns

chair

student

day

song

computer

room

love

money

weather

food

fruit

furniture

More Non-Countable

Nouns

Guideline #2Guideline #2Countable Nouns

Countable nouns can have singular and plural forms andcan be counted numerically. Most countable nouns can bemade plural by adding –s or –es.

book books 3 books

box boxes 2 boxes

Guideline #3Guideline #3Non-Countable Nouns

Non-countable nouns have only one form and can’t be

counted numerically. Look at the examples below.

monies money

one money money

healths health

two health health

Guideline #4Guideline #4Non-Countable Nouns

Non-countable nouns cannot take the plural –s or –es or

an article (a, an).

a furniture furniture

furnitures furniture

a news news

newses news

A singular noun names one person, place, thing or idea.

A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.

PLURAL NOUNS

Most nouns in English are made into plural nouns by adding an s to the singular form, however, …………….

If the noun ends with an s, ch, sh, x, or z, an es is added to make the

noun plural.

Make the following nouns plural:

box loss

dish quiz

church house

boxeslosses

dishes quizzes

churches houses

•Add s to nouns ending in a vowel and y.

key

toy

monkey

keys

toys

monkeys

Change y to an i and add es to nouns ending in a consonant and y.

sky

hobby

penny

skies

hobbies

pennies

What about nouns that end in a vowel?

Add an s to musical terms ending in o.

Add an s to nouns ending in a vowel and o.

radio - radios zoo - zoos

cello - cellos solo - solos

Nouns ending in a consonant and o should be learned. If you’re not sure, check the dictionary.

echo echoes

potato potatoes

tomato tomatoes

zero zeros, zeroes

hero heroes

Some nouns have special plural forms.

For example ………….

Add s to many nouns ending in f, fe, or ff.

roof - roofs cliff - cliffs

But, some nouns drop the f or fe and add ves.

calf – calves life - lives

PLURALS of the nouns ending in –f / -fe or ff.Belief – beliefs Roof – roofs Proof - proofsCuff – cuffsMuff – muffs Cliff – cliffs Reef – reefs Brief – briefsChief – chiefs Kerchief – kerchiefsChef – chefsPlaintiff – plaintiffs Sheriff – sheriffs Whiff - whiffsSafe – safes Fife - fifesGiraffe – giraffesGulf – gulfsDwarf – dwarfs

Leaf – leaves Self - selvesHalf – halves Shelf – shelves Thief – thieves Wolf – wolves Calf – calves Hoof – hooves Beef - beevesWife – wives Life – lives Knife – knives Self - selves

Scarf – scarfs scarves Wharf – wharfs wharves

A chef came to sheriff as a plaintiff to his chief, because he had a belief that his chief opened his safe and stole four things: a handkerchief with a picture of giraffes on a roof, a fife which makes a whiff while on the reefs, a muff that he found once on a cliff and his favourite briefs. Sheriff said that without proofs he couldn’t put cuffs on chef’s chief.

Some nouns have irregular plural forms!

child – childrenwoman – women

man – menperson – people

tooth - teethgoose – geese

foot – feetmouse – mice

louse – liceox – oxen

PLURALS of the nouns from Latin and Greek

us – inucleus –

nucleisyllabus –

syllabifocus – foci

fungus - fungi

cactus - cacti

is – esthesis – theses

crisis - crises

on – a phenomenon –

phenomenacriterion -

criteria

X – icesindex – indices

appendix - appendices

Some nouns have identical singular and plural forms.

deer - deer scissors - scissors

For compound words, the most important word is usually made plural.

son-in-law / sons-in-law board of health/boards of health

Add an ‘s to form the plural of letters or numbers used as a noun.

A – A’s 100 – 100’s

…..QUIZ TIME…..

Write the plural form of each of these nouns.

1. teacup 6. Department of Justice

2. goose 7. daughter-n-law

3. Iroquois 8. leaf

4. class 9. hobby

5. auto 10. donkey

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS.

1. teacups 6. Departments of Justice

2. geese 7. daughters-in-law

3. Iroquois 8. leaves

4. classes 9. hobbies

5. autos 10. donkeys

Guideline #6Guideline #6Noun Quantifiers

Words like, a few, a little, much, any, some, and manyare used differently depending on whether the noun in thesentence is count or non-count.

a few

count nouns a few bananas

a little

non-count nouns a little flour

(Continued)(Continued)Noun Quantifiers

many

count nouns many chairs

much

non-count nouns much furniture

some

non-count nouns some furniture

count nouns some chairs

(Continued)(Continued)Noun Quantifiers

Any is used in negative sentences with count and non-count nouns. Notice the difference in plural and singular verbs.

any

count nouns There aren’t any chairs.

any

non-count nouns There isn’t any furniture.

Guideline #7Guideline #7Agreement with Demonstrative Adjectives

Remember to make demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) agree with the nouns they modify.

singular This/That

these room

plural These/Those

these rooms

this rooms this room

Guideline #8Guideline #8Nouns and “of phrases”

A countable noun is always plural after an “of phrase” that shows quantity. A non-count noun is always singular after an “of phrase.”

Click here to see a list of common “of phrases.”

“of phrases”

Some of the chairs are broken.

Some of the furniture is broken.

plural

singular