Which words are plural. Singular and plural nouns

In English, there are two numbers of nouns, as in Russian: singular and plural (in some languages it happens differently). At first glance, it may seem that the plural of nouns in English is formed according to some difficult, incomprehensible rules. In fact, everything is simple, since in most cases the plural is formed according to the basic rule, and the rest of the cases are quickly remembered with practice.

Rules for the formation of plural nouns in English

1. Basic rule

In most cases, the plural of nouns in English (plural) is formed using the ending -s. Pay attention to how this ending is pronounced:

After vowels and voiced consonants - like [z],
After deaf consonants - like [s].

However, if you get confused in the pronunciation of -s at the end of a word, you will surely be understood.

2. Nouns with -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, -ss

What if the word ends with – s? In this case (for greater harmony and ease of pronunciation), you need to add -es. The same goes for the words -ss,-sh, – ch, – x, -z.

The ending -es helps to pronounce combinations of sounds that would be difficult to pronounce without it. Let me remind you -es added at the end of words -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z. Imagine what it would be like without -es:

watchs, matches, boxes, buss (!), classes (!!!)

Agree, it is much easier to pronounce the words:

watches, matches, boxes, buses, classes.

3. Nouns with a consonant + y

consonant + ending -y, then -y changes to -ies .

If the noun ends in vowel + ending -y, then to -y added -s. In other words, the plural is formed according to the basic rule.

4. Nouns ending in -o

If the noun ends in -o, you need to add -es.

Exceptions:

photo - photos (photo),
memo - memos (reminder).
piano - pianos (piano),

5. Nouns ending in -f, -fe

In nouns ending in -f or - fe, need to replace -f or - fe on the -ves.

6. Table: plural nouns in English

This image is a summary of the rules for pluralizing a noun.

Special cases of plural formation in English

English has exceptions to the plural rules. Most of them concern rather rare words, it is most important to remember the cases from the first paragraph (man - men, woman - women, etc.), since they are the most frequent.

1. Main exceptions: the plural is not formed according to the general rules

A number of nouns form the plural in a non-standard way:

Note: the word women is read as [ˈwɪmɪn].

2. Plural and singular forms match

Some nouns have the same plural and singular forms. These include:

3. Nouns used only in the singular

As in Russian, some nouns in English are used only in the singular or plural. These include:

1. Abstract, uncountable nouns

Knowledge - knowledge,
Love - love,
Friendship - friendship,
Information - information,

2. Names of sciences, academic disciplines on -ics

Although they end in -s, these words are used in the singular.

Econics - economics,
Physics - physics,
Aerobics - aerobics,
Classics - classical literature.

3. And others

Money - money,
Hair - hair.

3. Nouns used only in the plural

As in Russian, many names of paired objects do not have a singular

Pants - trousers,
Scissors - scissors,
Glasses - glasses (for the eyes, not glasses in the game),

Some words that are used in English only in the plural are used in Russian in the plural and singular:

Goods - goods, goods.
Clothes - clothes.

Note: clothes is or clothes are?

Difficulty with words often clothes - clothes. Should it be used as singular or plural? How to write correctly: clothes is or clothes are?

We are used to the fact that “clothes” is the singular in Russian, so we strive to use the English clothes in the Russian manner, as if it were a noun in the singular, but this is a mistake. In English, this word is plural and is used accordingly:

Not properly: Your clothes are so dirty. Your clothes are so dirty.
Correctly: Your clothes are so dirty. Your clothes are so dirty.

4. Plural of compound nouns

Compound nouns are made up of more than one word and can be written:

Separately or through a hyphen: mother-in-law(mother-in-law), assistant headmaster(Assistant School Principal).
Slitno: post man(postman), school boy(schoolboy).

In separate compound nouns, as a rule, the plural form is taken by the word that has the main meaning:

By numbers, mostly countable nouns change. Uncountable nouns, as a rule, are used only in the singular form:

sugar - sugar, love - love, friendship - friendship.

They are used in the plural only when the variety of species, concepts expressed by them is meant, or when they are used in another sense in which they are already countable. For example:

air - air, movement - movement (as a general concept), music - music, milk - milk, knowledge - knowledge, hair - hair (on a person's head).

BUT: air - aria, melody - "airs - arias, melodies, movement - movement (for example, political or in dance) -> movements - movements (the same), hair - hair -" hairs - hairs, etc.

The plural of nouns is usually formed by adding the ending -s to the singular form:

book - book -» books - books, day - day -> days - days, house - house -> houses - houses.

Reading the ending "-s":

after voiceless consonants - [s]: books
after voiced consonants and vowels - [z]: friends, days
after hissing and whistling (-es) - : boxes [‘boksiz]

Exception l. Nouns ending in the singular with letters o, s, ss, sh, ch, x(hissing and whistling, as they are called), in the plural they have an ending -es:

hero - hero ->heroes - heroes, kiss - kiss -> kisses - kisses, brush - brush-> brushes - brushes, bench - bench -> benches - benches, box - box -> boxes - boxes.

BUT: In words of foreign origin ending in o, in the plural, only the ending is added to the noun -s:

piano - grand piano -> pianos - grand pianos, photo - photography -» photos - photos.

Exception 2. Nouns ending in y with a preceding consonant have the y omitted and the ending added instead -ies, which reads [-iz]:

country [‘kAntri] - country -> countries - countries, city - city cities- cities, family - family families- families.

BUT: If there is a vowel before y, then the plural is formed according to the general rule, i.e. by adding the ending -s:

day - day - "days - days, boy - boy -" boys - boys.

3. Twelve nouns ending in -f or -fe, in the plural lose these letters. Instead of -f or -fe, the ending is added -ves. These are nouns:

wife - wife, life - life, knife - knife, wolf - wolf, self - essence, human appearance, calf - calf, shelf - shelf, leaf - leaf (plant), loaf - loaf (bread), thief - thief, half - half, sheaf - pack (of paper), etc.

For example: wife - wife - "wives - wives, knife - knife -> knives - knives, shelf - shelf -> shelves - shelves.

4. Some nouns form the plural by changing the root vowel:

man - man -> men - men, woman - woman - "women - women, foot - leg feet - legs, tooth - tooth -" teeth - teeth.
HO: child - child -> children - children.

5. For compound nouns, the plural is formed by adding the ending -s to the second word:

armchairs - armchairs, bookcases - bookcases.

BUT: If these words are combined by a preposition, then the first word is put in the plural: sisters-in-law- daughters-in-law.

Words borrowed from Greek or Latin are pluralized according to the rules of those languages:

appendix - application -» appendices - applications (to the book), crisis - crisis -> crises - crises, basis - base, bases - bases, radius - radius -> radii - radii.

Nouns used only in the singular

Uncountable nouns (both real and abstract) are usually used only in the singular:
iron - iron, salt - salt, milk - milk, sugar - sugar, love - love.
Nouns advice (advice, advice), information (message, information), progress (success, success), knowledge (knowledge) are used only in the singular.
He gave me some good advice. He gave me some good advice.
My coach was satisfied with my progress. My coach was pleased with my progress
Nouns news (news, news), money (money), fruit (fruits, fruits) are used in the singular. But, for example, to refer to different types of fruits, the plural is used - fruits.
What is the news? What's the news?
It's his money. This is his money.
Fruit is cheap in autumn. Fruit is cheap in autumn.
Among countable nouns, there are those that are used only (or mostly) in the singular form. These are the names of some animals, objects, etc.:
two sheep - two sheep, six fish - six fish, ten swine - ten pigs, five deer - five deer.

Difficult plural forms of nouns

Among the forms of nouns, the formation of which may be associated with certain difficulties, one should include the plural forms of the nominative case ( directors or directors, valves or valve?) and the genitive plural form of some nouns ( five grams and five grams, five oranges or five orange?)

1. Plural forms of the nominative case of nouns: directors or directors?

The nominative plural form of nouns is checked in dictionary order (according to the dictionary). See rubric "Word Check" on our portal. Please note: the search for a word in dictionaries is carried out by the initial form (nominative case, singular)!

The dictionary entry reads as follows: if the entry does not contain special indications of the plural form (litter pl.), then the ending is used to form the nominative plural -and or -s. If a different ending is required (or options are acceptable), then a litter is put: pl. -a. For example:

In the modern Russian literary language, options that fluctuate in the form of them. n. pl. h., have over 300 words. The focus of distribution of flexion -and I) are the spheres of vernacular and professional language. For this reason, the forms -and I) often have a colloquial or professional coloring: contracts, locksmith, turner. The forms on -s(s) are more neutral and for most words meet the traditional norms of the literary language. However, in some cases the forms -and I) have already supplanted the forms on -s(s).

In addition, you can remember a number of patterns that facilitate the choice of inflection (ending) of the nominative plural:

Declinable neuter nouns, the initial form of which ends in -KO, have unstressed plural inflection. h. im. P. -and (faces, feathers, apples). The exception is nouns with stressed plural endings. hours: troops and clouds.

Other neuter nouns in plural form. h take the ending -and I): swamps, fields, seas, windows.

Form on -and I some words may be singular or predominant: side - sides (sides only in phraseological combination hands to the sides); century - centuries (eyelids only in phraseological combinations for once, forever and ever, forever and ever), eye - eyes, meadow - meadows, fur - furs, snow - snow, stack - stacks, silk - silk.

Forms can have different meanings: tones(about color) and tones(about sound) of bread(about cereals) and loaves(about baked bread) workshops and workshops(at the enterprise) and workshops(medieval organizations of artisans).

Noun forms can differ in stylistic coloring: sides and outdated. sides; at home and outdated. houses; stern and outdated. stern; horns and outdated. and a poet. horns; varieties and outdated. varieties; volumes and outdated. then we, as well as thunders and a poet. thunder; coffins and a poet. coffin.

Finally, noun forms can be equal and interchangeable: of the year and years(but: years of youth, severe deprivation; nineties, zero years), workshops and workshops(at the enterprise), storm and storms.

In order to resolve the issue of the status of the "controversial" form of the word (non-normative, variant, stylistically colored, etc.), in any case, you need to refer to the dictionary.

Non-standard plurals are formed in words child - children, man - people, bottom - bottom and some others.

2. Plural forms of the genitive case of nouns: five grams or five grams?

For most masculine nouns that end in a hard consonant in their initial form ( orange, tomato, fly agaric, computer, sock), characteristically ending -ov in the genitive plural form: oranges, tomatoes, fly agarics, computers, socks etc. An extensive number of exceptions can be distinguished from this rule - similar nouns, but having a zero ending in the genitive plural: one stocking - no stockings, one Ossetian - five Ossetians, one gram - five grams and five grams etc. These words include:

Names of people by nationality and by belonging to military formations, mainly used in plural forms in a collective meaning: Magyars - Magyars, Turkmens - Turkmens, midshipmen - midshipmen and midshipmen, partisans - partisans, soldiers - soldiers; this also includes the form r. n. pl. h. human.

Names of paired items: boots - boot, eyes - eyes, cuffs - cuffs, shoulder straps - shoulder strap, stockings - stocking, epaulettes - epaulette, boots - boots.

Names of measures and units of measurement: 220 volts, 1000 watts, 5 amps, 500 gigabytes. If such names are used outside the "measuring" context (in other words, the genitive case form is not countable), then the ending is used -ov: live without excess kilograms, not enough gigabytes.

It should be noted that the names of fruits, fruits and vegetables, which are masculine nouns, in the initial form ending in a solid consonant ( orange, eggplant, tomato, tangerine), in the genitive plural form. hours have an ending -ov: five oranges, a kilogram of eggplant, New Year without tangerines, tomato salad.

For some nouns, the formation of plural forms. h. n. difficult; these are the words dream, prayer, head. On the contrary, words cheek and woodworker do not have other forms, except for the plural form. h. case.

See: "Russian Grammar", M., 1980.

Hello dear readers! Today you will learn how the plural is formed in English. The topic is not complicated at first glance, but there are many nuances that you should pay attention to.

In English, the plural is formed only by countable nouns, that is, nouns that can be counted. Such nouns can be either singular or plural. I think it's no secret to anyone what the plural is. If the singular is used to refer to one subject or concept, then the plural is used to refer to several items. So, now we will consider the basic rules for the formation of the plural in English. Plural of nouns in English

1. The plural of most nouns is formed by adding the ending −s to a singular noun.

−s reads:

[z] after vowels and voiced consonants
[s] after voiceless consonants

a tie tie— tie s ties
a teacher teacher- teacher s[ˈtiːʧəz] teachers
a room room— room s rooms
a map map-map s cards

2. Nouns that end in consonants s, ss, sh, ch, tch, x, take the plural ending -es, which is read [ɪz].

a match match- match es[ˈmæʧɪz] matches

3. Nouns that end in a vowel -about, in the plural also take the ending -es.

hero hero— hero es[ˈhɪərəʊz] heroes
tomato tomato−tomato es tomatoes

If before the end -about there is a vowel, then the plural noun takes the ending -s.

radio radio- radio s[ˈreɪdɪəʊz] radio receivers
kangaroo kangaroo– kangaroo s kangaroo

If a noun that ends in -about in the singular, is an abbreviation, then in the plural it also takes the ending -s.

photo (graph) photo)— photo s[ˈfəʊtəʊz] Photo
kilo (gramme) kilo (gram)-kilo s[ˈkiːləʊz] kilograms

In some cases, variations with −s and -es.

flamingos flamingos— flamingo s flamingo es flamingos
volcano volcano—volcano s volcano es volcanoes

4. To nouns that end in -y, and before the end -y there is a consonant, the ending is added -es and at changes to i.

a factory factory, plant− factor ies[ˈfæktəriz] factories, plants

In case before −at there is a vowel, no change occurs, and the plural is formed by adding the ending -s.

a day day— day s days

5. Plural of some nouns that end in f, fe, formed by replacing f consonant v and adding an ending -es. The following nouns are subject to this rule:

calf calf− cal weight calves
half half− hal weight halves
elf elf−el weight elves
knife knife−kni weight knives
leaves tree leaf−lea weight leaves
life life−li weight life
loaf loaf-loa weight loaves
self self−sel weight we ourselves
sheaf bundle— shea weight[ʃiːvz] bundles
shelf shelf− shel weight[ʃɛlvz] shelves
thief thief-thie weight[θiːvz] the thieves
wife wife− wi weight wives
wolf −wolves

In some cases, variations with endings are possible f and v.

hoof hoof— hoo fs, hoo weight hooves
scarf scarf— scar fs, scar weight scarves
scarf jetty- whar fs, whar weight pier

Plural exclusion

6. Some nouns have preserved archaic plural forms. The plural of such nouns is formed by changing root vowel or by adding an ending —en.

a man the male− m e n men
a woman woman−wom e n [ˈwɪmɪn] women
brother ["brʌðər] brother−br e thr en["breðrɪn] brethren
foot leg− f ee t legs
goose goose— g ee se geese
louse ["laus] louse− l i ce lice
mouse mouse— m ic e mice
teeth tooth— t ee th teeth
a child [ʧaɪld] child− children en[ˈʧɪldrən] children
ox [ɒks] bull— ox en[ˈɒksən] bulls

7. In English, the forms of some nouns in the singular and in the plural are the same.

craft ship - ships
works factory - factories
species["spi:ʃi:z] biol. view - views
headquarters ["hed" kwɔ:təz] headquarters - central authorities
alms [ɑːmz] alms - alms
barracks [ˈbærəks] barracks - barracks
corps military dipl. hull - hulls
grow partridge − partridges
crossroads [ˈkrɒsˌrəʊdz] road crossing - intersections
deer deer - deer
sheep [ʃiːp] sheep − sheep
fish ["fɪʃ] fish - fish
fruits fruit - fruits
gallows [ˈgæləʊz] gallows - gallows
trout trout - trout
means means - means
salmon ["sæmən] salmon - salmon
series ["sɪəri:z] series − series
swine pig - pigs

8. Some nouns that are of Latin or Greek origin have retained an archaic form in the plural.

analysis [ə"næləsɪs] analysis− analyzes [ə"næləsi:z] analyzes
axis ["æksɪs] axis− axes ["æksɪz] axes
basis ["beɪsɪs] the foundation− bases ["beɪsi:z] basics
crisis ["kraɪsɪs] a crisis− crises ["kraɪsi:z] crises
datum ["deɪtəm] given value− data ["deɪtə] data
erratum typo− errata list of typos
formula [ˈfɔ:rmjulə] formula− formulae ["fɔ:rmjuli:], formulas ["fɔ:rmjuləz] formulas
locus ["ləukəs] location− loci ["ləusaɪ] locations
memorandum [, memə "rændəm] record for memory− memoranda [, memə "rændə], memorandums [, memə" rændəmz] notes
nucleus cell− nuclei cells
phenomenon phenomenon− phenomena phenomena
radius ["reɪdɪəs], [ˈreɪdjəs] radius− radii ["reɪdɪaɪ] radii
species [ˈspiːʃiːz] kind, type— species [ˈspiːʃiːz] kinds, types
thesis [ˈθiːsɪs] thesis- theses [θiːsiːz] theses

9. There are a number of nouns in English that are used only in the plural.

binoculars - binoculars
breeches ["brɪtʃɪz] − breeches
glasses ["aɪglɑːsɪz] − glasses
jeans [ʤiːnz]- jeans
pajamas, pajamas pajamas
pliers [ˈplaɪəz] − pliers
scissors [ˈsɪzəz] − scissors
shorts ʃɔːts − shorts, underpants
stockings[ˈstɒkɪŋz] − socks
tights - tights
tongs- forceps
trousers [ˈtraʊzəz] - pants
proceeds [ˈprəʊsiːdz] − income
surroundings - neighborhood
riches [ˈrɪʧɪz] − wealth
thanks [θæŋks] − gratitude
wages [ˈweɪʤɪz] − earnings

Plural Formation of Compound Nouns

1. Compound nouns that are written together, form the plural by adding an ending to the second element.

school girl schoolgirl— schoolgirl s schoolgirls
policeman police officer— policem e n police officers

2. If a complex noun, which is written with a hyphen, includes words man or woman, as one of the constituent parts of the word, then all parts of the word take the plural.

woman-writer writer−wom e n-writer s writers
gentleman farmer gentleman farmer− gentleman e n farmer sgentleman farmers

3. Compound nouns that are written with a hyphen form the plural by changing the key element in the meaning.

family-name surname− family-name s surnames
commander-in-chief commander in chief− commander s-in-chief commanders-in-chief

4. If there is no noun element in the compound noun, then the plural is formed by adding the ending −s to the last element.

forget-me-not forget-me-not− forget-me-not s forget-me-nots
merry-go-round carousel− merry-go-round s carousels

Note!

1. In English, some uncountable nouns can be used as countable.

Uncountable: success - luck, success (generally)

Success is in the details. − A meticulous attitude to business is the path to success.

Calc. :a success successful result− success esgood results

My new job is a success. − My new job is just a happy accident.
We learn from our success es and failures. − We learn from our successes and mistakes.

2. In English, some nouns can agree with the verb in the singular and in the plural, depending on the context, without changing their form.

my family is large. — My family is big.(Family as a whole)
my family are early risers. — Everyone in our family gets up early.. (Family - as a set of individual members of the team)

3. In English, the same noun can be countable in one sense, and uncountable in another.

Uncountable: iron iron
Calc.: an iron iron— iron s irons

4. In English, some nouns with endings -s have a singular meaning and accordingly agree with singular verbs.