THE PLURAL OF NOUNS
Most nouns form the plural by adding -s or -es-or ies.
Examples
| Singular Car Necklace |
Plural Cars Necklaces |
|
boat Book |
boats Books |
|
hat |
hats |
|
house |
houses |
|
river Dress Shirt Coat suit Bag Tie Chicken |
rivers Dresses Shirts Coats suits Bags Ties Chickens |
A noun ending in -y preceded by a consonant makes the plural with -ies.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|
a cry |
cries |
|
a fly |
flies |
|
a nappy |
nappies |
|
a poppy |
poppies |
|
a city |
cities |
|
a lady |
ladies |
|
a baby |
babies |
There are some irregular formations for noun plurals. Some of the most common ones are listed below.
Examples of irregular plurals
| Singular | Plural |
|
woman |
women |
|
man |
men |
|
child |
children |
|
tooth |
teeth |
|
foot |
feet |
|
person |
people |
|
leaf |
leaves |
|
half |
halves |
|
knife |
knives |
|
wife |
wives |
|
life |
lives |
|
loaf |
loaves |
|
potato |
potatoes |
|
cactus |
cacti |
|
focus |
foci |
|
fungus |
fungi |
|
nucleus |
nuclei |
|
syllabus |
syllabi/syllabuses |
|
analysis |
analyses |
|
diagnosis |
diagnoses |
|
oasis |
oases |
|
thesis |
theses |
|
crisis |
crises |
|
phenomenon |
phenomena |
|
criterion |
criteria |
|
datum |
data |
Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.
Examples
Singular |
Plural |
|
sheep |
sheep |
|
fish |
fish |
|
species |
species |
|
aircraft |
aircraft |
Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.
Examples
- News: The news is on at 6.30 p.m.
- Athletics: Athletics is good for young people.
- Linguistics: Linguistics is the study of language.
- Darts: Darts is a popular game in England.
- Billiards: Billiards is played all over the world.
Some nouns have a plural form and take a plural verb.
Examples
- Trousers My trousers are too tight.
- Jeans Her jeans are black.
- Glasses Those glasses are his.
- Her eye-glasses are nice.
- My shoes are fashionable
- These pyjamas are old fashion.
others include:
- savings, thanks, steps, stair, customs, congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts, goods, wits
COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Countable nouns are for things we can count
Examples
dog, horse, man, shop, idea., turkey, pie, drink,f irework, present, electronic set,sppon,fork,kitchen,bedroom,air condition, sandwich,canned food.
They usually have a singular and plural form.
Examples
two dogs, ten horses, a man, six men, the shops, a few ideas.
Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count
Examples
Tea, sugar, water, air, rice.
They are often the names for abstract ideas or qualities.
Examples
Knowledge, beauty, Jewelery, anger, fear, love,fun, laughter,entertainment.
They are used with a singular verb. They usually do not have a plural form. We cannot say sugars, angers, knowledges.
Examples of common uncountable nouns:
- money, furniture, happiness, sadness, research, evidence, safety, beauty, knowledge.
We cannot use a/an with these nouns. To express a quantity of one of these nouns, use a word or expression like:
some, a lot of, a piece of, a bit of, a great deal of...
Examples
- There has been a lot of research into the causes of this disease.
- He gave me a great deal of advice before my interview.
- They've got a lot of furniture.
- Can you give me some information about uncountable nouns?
Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in English. Some of the most common of these are:
|
accommodation |
news |
BE CAREFUL with the noun 'hair' which is normally uncountable in English:
- She has long blonde hair
It can also be countable when referring to individual hairs:
- My father's getting a few grey hairs
Compound Nouns:
Formation
Words can be combined to form compound nouns. These are very common, and new combinations are invented almost daily. They normally have two parts. The second part identifies the object or person in question (man, friend, tank, table, room). The first part tells us what kind of object or person it is, or what its purpose is (police, boy, water, dining, bed):
| What type / what purpose | What or who |
| police | man |
| boy | friend |
| water | tank |
| dining | table |
| bed Chair |
room Carpet |
1. as one word.
Example: policeman, boyfriend
2. as two words joined with a hyphen.
Example: dining-table
3. as two separate words.
Example: fish tank.
There are no clear rules about this - so write the common compounds that you know well as one word, and the others as two words.
Compound nouns often have a meaning that is different from the two separate words.
Stress is important in pronunciation, as it distinguishes between a compound noun (e.g. greenhouse) and an adjective with a noun (e.g. green house).
In compound nouns, the stress usually falls on the first syllable:
a 'greenhouse = place where we grow plants (compound noun)
a green 'house = house painted green (adjective and noun)
a 'bluebird = type of bird (compound noun)
a blue 'bird = any bird with blue feathers (adjective and noun)
* Many common compound nouns are formed from phrasal verbs (verb + adverb or adverb + verb).
Examples
Breakdown, outbreak, outcome, cutback, drive-in, drop-out, feedback, flyover, hold-up, hangover, outlay, outlet, inlet, makeup, output, set-back, stand-in, takeaway, walkover.
NATIONALITIES
- Country: I live in England.
- Adjective: He reads English literature.
- Noun: She is an Englishwoman.
|
COUNTRY |
ADJECTIVE |
NOUN |
|
Africa |
African |
an African |
|
America |
American |
an American |
|
Argentina |
Argentinian |
an Argentinian |
|
Austria |
Austrian |
an Austrian |
|
Autralia |
Australian |
an Australian |
|
Bangladesh |
Bangladesh(i) |
a Bangladeshi |
|
Belgium |
Belgian |
a Belgian |
|
Brazil |
Brazilian |
a Brazilian |
|
Britain |
British |
a Briton/Britisher |
|
Cambodia |
Cambodian |
a Cambodian |
|
Chile |
Chilean |
a Chilean |
|
China |
Chinese |
a Chinese |
|
Colombia |
Colombian |
a Colombian |
|
Croatia |
Croatian |
a Croat |
|
the Czech Republic |
Czech |
a Czech |
|
Denmark |
Danish |
a Dane |
|
England |
English |
an Englishman/Englishwoman |
|
Finland |
Finnish |
a Finn |
|
France |
French |
a Frenchman/Frenchwoman |
|
Germany |
German |
a German |
|
Greece |
Greek |
a Greek |
|
Holland |
Dutch |
a Dutchman/Dutchwoman |
|
Hungary |
Hungarian |
a Hungarian |
|
Iceland |
Icelandic |
an Icelander |
|
India |
Indian |
an Indian |
|
Indonesia |
Indonesian |
an Indonesian |
|
Iran |
Iranian |
an Iranian |
|
Iraq |
Iraqi |
an Iraqi |
|
Ireland |
Irish |
an Irishman/Irishwoman |
|
Israel |
Israeli |
an Israeli |
|
Jamaica |
Jamaican |
a Jamaican |
|
Japan |
Japanese |
a Japanese |
|
Mexico |
Mexican |
a Mexican |
|
Morocco |
Moroccan |
a Moroccan |
|
Norway |
Norwegian |
a Norwegian |
|
Peru |
Peruvian |
a Peruvian |
|
the Philippines |
Philippine |
a Filipino |
|
Poland |
Polish |
a Pole |
|
Portugal |
Portuguese |
a Portuguese |
|
Rumania |
Rumanian |
a Rumanian |
|
Russia |
Russian |
a Russian |
|
Saudi Arabia |
Saudi, Saudi Arabian |
a Saudi, a Saudi Arabian |
|
Scotland |
Scottish |
a Scot |
|
Serbia |
Serbian |
a Serb |
|
the Slovak Republic |
Slovak |
a Slovak |
|
Sweden |
Swedish |
a Swede |
|
Switzerland |
Swiss |
a Swiss |
|
Thailand |
Thai |
a Thai |
|
The USA |
American |
an American |
|
Tunisia |
Tunisian |
a Tunisian |
|
Turkey |
Turkish |
a Turk |
|
Vietnam |
Vietnamese |
a Vietnamese |
|
Wales |
Welsh |
a Welshman/Welshwoman |
|
Yugoslavia |
Yugoslav |
a Yugoslav |
We use the + nationality adjective ending in -ese or -ish with a plural verb, to refer to all people of that nationality:
The Chinese are very hard-working.
The Spanish often go to sleep in the afternoon.
