Tag: Leaf Wolf Wife

Nouns – Singular and Plural (One and More than one)

• Study the following pairs of sentences:

1.     Please show me your book.

                   Please show me your books.

     2.         There is a tree in my garden.

                 There are many trees in my garden.

   3.      A bird is sitting on the branch.

            Many birds are sitting on the branches.

  4.         A boy is running in the park.

           Boys are running in the park.

 5.         This box is very heavy.

             These boxes are very heavy.

 

• The nouns book, tree, bird, branch, boy, box in the first sentence of each pair stand for only one thing. We, therefore say that they are in the singular number. (Singular suggests ‘one’).
• The nouns books, trees, birds, branches, boys, boxes in the second sentence of each pair stand for more than one thing. We, therefore say, that they are in the plural number.(Plural suggests ‘More than one’)
• Any noun standing for one person, animal, place or thing is said to be in the singular number.
• A noun standing for more than one person, animal, place or thing is said to be in the plural number.

 

• Formation of plurals:

 

•     Most nouns form their plurals by adding ‘s’ to the singular; as,

 

Singular Ball Chair Toy Bag Cat

Plural Balls Chairs Toys Bags Cats

Singular Pencil Table Window Eye Cup

Plural Pencils Tables Windows Eyes Cups

 

•       Nouns ending with s, ss, sh, ch and o (after a consonant) form their plural by adding ‘-es’ to the singular; as,

 

Gas Bus Class Glass Brush Dish Bench Match

Gases Buses Classes Glasses Brushes Dishes Benches Matches

Box Fox Tomato Hero Zero Buffalo Mosquito

Boxes Foxes Tomatoes Heroes Zeroes Buffaloes Mosquitoes

 

• There are however certain exceptions to this rule; as,

 

Photo Kangaroo Bamboo Radio

Photos Kangaroos Bamboos Radios

 

•      Nouns that end in’ f ‘or’ fe ‘ form  their plurals by changing ‘f’ or ‘fe’ to ‘ves’; as,

 

Leaf Wolf Wife knife Thief Loaf Scarf Calf

Leaves Wolves Wives Knives Thieves Loaves Scarves Calves

 

• Exception:  Roof – Roofs; Chief – Chiefs; Dwarf – Dwarfs.

 

•      Some nouns ending in ‘y’ form their plural by changing the ‘y’ into ‘ies’; as,

 

Baby Army Enemy City

Babies Armies Enemies Cities

Lady Fly Story Country

Ladies Flies Stories Countries

 

•  If the final vowel comes just after  a vowel, the plural is formed by simply adding  ‘-s’ to the singular; as,

Boy Toy Tray Ray

Boys Toys Trays Rays

Key Day Valley Monkey

Keys Days Valley Monkeys

 

•     Some nouns do not follow any of the rules mentioned above, so we have to simply remember them:

 

Man Woman Foot Tooth Goose Mouse

Men Women Feet Teeth Geese Mice

Sheep Deer Fish Ox Child Fruit

Sheep Deer Fish/fishes Oxen Children Fruit/fruits