These are countable items. They can be used in combination with Such nouns have forms of both numbers: singular and plural: table - tables, desk - desks, cloud - clouds. These forms have different endings and combine differently with other parts of speech.

Meaning of plural forms of nouns

If the singular number is used to denote a single object from a series of similar ones, then the plural number denotes a set of homogeneous objects.

Mechanism of plural formation

Nouns that are used only in the plural

In contrast to nouns that do not form a plural, there are words in the language that exist only in the form of a plural. These are nouns

distracted (twilight, holidays);

material (cream, cabbage soup);

names of some chess);

objects that include several parts (scissors, trousers, jeans, scales, etc.).

Category of number of nouns

Nouns have singular forms. ( football player- one) and plural. ( football players- more than one). Most nouns are used in both number forms: house — Houses, village — villages, lake — lakes. Individual nouns have suppletive forms of number, i.e. formed from different roots: Human — People, child — children. A significantly smaller part has forms of only singular parts. or only plural

To nouns that have only singular forms. ( singularia tantum), belong to:

• 1) proper names ( Moscow, Ivan, Crimea, France);
• 2) abstract nouns ( ambition, globalization, friendship, white);
• 3) real ( marijuana, herbalife, eurolining) - in technical and educational literature, some such nouns can be found in the plural form. when indicating the type, type of substance ( special steels, technical oils); Wed in fiction: The oats rustle behind Cherepanov(M. Skvortsov);
• 4) collective nouns ( peasantry, foliage, own) - with such nouns, the predicate verb is used in the singular. ( Lingerie lies - lay in the closet);
• 5) names of diseases ( allergy, bronchitis, paralysis), months ( January, February);
• 6) sports games ( arm wrestling, aerobics, bobsled).

To nouns that have only the plural form. ( pluralia tantum), relate:

• 1) names of “complex” objects consisting of several parts ( glasses, watch, trousers);
• 2 ) names of some substances, products ( agrochemicals, pasta, ink);
• 3) names of time periods ( holidays, day);
• 4) the names of some games ( chess, checkers).

Unit forms nouns can be used generally to denote a set: The goose was about to fly away, You can’t keep him down even with wheat(Proverb).

The use of a compound name in the singular form in the plural meaning. can be illustrated with an example from the Federal Law “On Legal Deposit” dated November 23, 1994: Part mandatory free copy and required paid copy includes the following types of documents:

publications (text, musical notation, cartographic, art editions) —publishing products, undergone editorial and publishing processing, self-designed printing, having output information;

publications for the blind - publications, produced in relief-dot font using the Braille system, and "talking books";

official documents - works of printing, published on behalf of legislative bodies, executive and judicial powers, bearing legislative, normative, directive or informational in nature, audiovisual products - cinema, video-, photo-, phonodocuments.

Proper names, for example surnames, can also be used in a generalized sense.

Thus, about the order in German hospitals during the war with the USSR, the actions of the Gestapo to identify “unreliable” among the wounded soldiers, in particular Fischer and Warne, the author of “Shield and Sword” V. Kozhevnikov wrote: In the officers' ward, care for the wounded was not determined by injury, but by rank, awards, type of service, connections, money. There were also Fisher , mine Barch.

Plural form can denote a separate set ( In our group there were Georgians ) and collective ( Georgians live mainly in the Caucasus). The last circumstance influences the use of the plural form. many nouns that act as heading words in terminological dictionaries.

For example, in the encyclopedia "Russian Language" ed. F. P. Filina such cases include:

ANTONYMS are words of the same part of speech that have opposite meanings.

ARCHAISMS are outdated words.

QUOTE quotations are paired punctuation marks.

STATIONERY - words, set phrases, grammatical forms and constructions, the use of which in the literary language is traditionally assigned to the official business style, especially to the clerical and business substyle.

The given nouns in this case denote a combination of any linguistic phenomena ( antonyms, archaisms, bureaucracy) or their pairing ( quotes). In the “Orthological Dictionary of the Russian Language” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, these same words are given in singular parts: antonym, archaism, quotation mark, clericalism.

In terminology dictionaries the plural form is indicates a family affiliation, a community of designated people, a family of animals, objects.

Examples from SES:

ABAZINS (self-named Abaza), people in Karachay-Cherkess. JSC...

AGRANULOCYTES (non-granular leukocytes), animal and human leukocytes that do not contain grains (granules) in the cytoplasm...

ADENOVIRUSES, a family of DNA viruses that cause adenoviral diseases in humans and animals.

In the "Spelling Dictionary" of the Russian Academy of Sciences, these same nouns are given in singular form: Abaza, agranulocyte, adenovirus.

In a general sense, they can be used in the plural. and proper names, individual names. Essentially, the surname of any distinguished character in a literary work, when used in the plural, acquires a general meaning.

Thus, among the characters in E. Yevtushenko’s novel “Berry Places,” the cynic Nakhabkin and the envious Sitochkin stand out. Hence the collective images mentioned by the author: Thousands of giggling people appeared on the horizon before him. Nakhabkin , whose feet were washed by thousands of quiet and uncomplaining women; None Sitochkin I shouldn't have interfered with their relationship.

Another example of using an individual name in a generalized sense: "No, it's for currency." So she[saleswoman] she said that, as if I was in rio de janeiras born under palm trees(E. Yevtushenko).

There are many nouns in the Russian language that have two forms of number, but are more often used in one of them. In some explanatory dictionaries such nouns are marked “usually plural.” or "usually units." The first include, for example: action films, refugees, White spots, state employees, Duma members, Eurobonds, green, ultra-wealthy. The second ones include: boyfriend, state subsidy, scored, establishment, image of the enemy, recharge, junta, electorate etc.

In some cases, the unusual use of singular nouns. or plural associated with the professional speech of the speaker. Thus, in her memoirs, the famous singer G. Vishnevskaya writes: But here I am made up, perfectly combed, The dress fits me perfectly. Vera picks up my long train: “Well, let's go to, You are our queen!" — and we go on stage. Now we stand together in the wings, I know, that her heart is pounding just as hard, just like me. For ordinary speech, it is more typical to use the word backstage in the plural - behind the scenes.

Understanding units and plural sometimes it's peculiar.

There was such a case with the writer A. Solzhenitsyn. He was arrested while at the front, accused of anti-Soviet activities (he made some careless statements in letters to a friend) and of attempting to create a corresponding organization or group. Before signing the indictment, he asked the prosecutor to remove at least the last point from him, citing the fact that only two people were involved in the case - he and his friend (“what a group this is!”). But the prosecutor explained that even one and a half is already more than one, which means it’s a group!

If morphologically the singular forms and plural nouns are expressed by their endings, then syntactically these forms are expressed by the endings of adjectives or verbs that agree or coordinate with the nouns: attractive slogan — attractive slogans; The region receives (received) subsidy — Regions receive (got) subsidy Indeclinable nouns and nouns pluralia tantum In general, they have only one way of expressing a number - syntactically: Our(our) couturier distinguished himself (distinguished themselves) at a fashion show; alone day — four days.

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

In English, only countable nouns form the plural, that is, those that can be counted. Such nouns can have a singular or plural form. I think it's no secret to anyone what the plural is. If the singular is used to denote one thing or concept, then the plural is used to denote several things. So, now we will look at the basic rules for forming plurals 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, plural endings take -es which reads [ɪz].

• a match match- match es[ˈmæʧɪz] matches

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

• hero hero- hero es[ˈhɪərəʊz] heroes
• tomato tomato−tomato es tomatoes

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

• radio radio- radio s[ˈreɪdɪəʊz] radios
• kangaroo kangaroo— kangaroo s kangaroo

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

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

In some cases, variations are possible with −s And -es.

• flamingo flamingo— flamingo s flamingo es flamingo
• volcano volcano- volcano s, volcano es volcanoes

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

• a factory factory, factory− factor ies[ˈfæktəriz] factories, factories

In case before −y there is a vowel, no changes occur, 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, is formed by substitution f consonant v and adding the ending -es. The following nouns obey this rule:

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

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

• hoof hoof-hoo fs, hoo ves hooves
• scarf scarf—scar fs, scar ves scarves
• wharf pier—whar fs, whar ves piers

Plural of exclusion

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

• a man man− 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
• tooth tooth-t ee th teeth
• a child [ʧaɪld] child− childr en[ˈʧɪldrən] children
• ox [ɒks] bull- ox en[ˈɒksən] bulls

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

• craft ship - ships
• works factory - factories
• species["spi:ʃi:z] biol. species - species
• headquarters ["hed"kwɔ:təz] main department - central authorities
• alms [ɑːmz] alms − alms
• barracks [ˈbærəks] barracks - barracks
• corps military diploma housing - housings
• grouse partridge − partridge
• crossroads [ˈkrɒsˌrəʊdz] road intersections - crossroads
• deer deer - deer
• sheep [ʃiːp] sheep - sheep
• fish ["fɪʃ] fish - fish
• fruit fruit − fruit
• 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 their archaic form in the plural.

• analysis [ə"næləsɪs] analysis− analyzes [ə"næləsi:z] tests
• axis ["æksɪs] axis− axes ["æksɪz] axes
• basis ["beɪsɪs] the basis− 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− phenomenal phenomena
• radius ["reɪdɪəs], [ˈreɪdjəs] radius− radii ["reɪdɪaɪ] radii
• species [ˈspiːʃiːz] type, type- species [ˈspiːʃiːz] types, types
• thesis [ˈθiːsɪs] thesis- theses [θiːsiːz] theses

9. In English there are a number of nouns 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, panties
• stockings[ˈstɒkɪŋz] − socks
• tights − tights
• tongs - forceps
• trousers [ˈtraʊzəz] - trousers
• proceeds [ˈprəʊsiːdz] − income
• surroundings neighborhood
• riches [ˈrɪʧɪz] − wealth
• thanks [θæŋks] − Gratitude
• wages [ˈweɪʤɪz] − earnings

Pluralizing compound nouns

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

• schoolgirl schoolgirl— schoolgirl s schoolgirls
• policeman police officer— policem e n police

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

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

3. Compound nouns, which are written with a hyphen, form the plural by changing the key element.

• 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 a 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 nouns.

Uncountable: success - luck, success (in general terms))

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

Calc. :a success successful result− success essuccessful 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 a verb in the singular or 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 is like a set of individual members of a team)

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

Uncountable: iron − iron
Calcul.: an iron iron-iron s irons

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

During the lesson we will learn to determine the number of nouns, learn about the peculiarities of using nouns in the plural, and about the correct placement of stress. We will complete many interesting tasks.

Let's say it correctly:

No boot, shoe, felt boots .

Pair boot, shoe, felt boots .

A lot of places, affairs, soldiers, apples .

No socks , pair socks .

Many kilograms tangerines, oranges, tomatoes .

Let's write down the sentences, adding letters where necessary.

We bought a pair of noses in the store...

Tanya has a lot to do.....

There are no empty seats on the bus...

There are a lot of tomatoes on the market... and apples...

There are a lot of soldiers at the parade...

Examination.

We bought a pair of socks at the store.

Tanya has a lot to do.

There are no empty seats on the bus.

There are a lot of tomatoes and apples on the market.

There are many soldiers at the parade.

Peculiarities of placing stress on plural nouns

Now let's get acquainted with the correct placement of stress in some nouns in the plural form.

Rice. 13. We speak correctly! ()

Director-director A

Driver - driver e ry

Cake - t O mouths

To find out how to pronounce a word correctly, you can turn to a spelling dictionary or an accent dictionary for help.

There are unusual nouns in the Russian language. What is their secret?

Let's find out.

Let's look at the pictures.

Let's name the objects.

Milk, flour, honey, leaves.

These nouns do not have a plural form.

Let's look at another example.

Let's name the objects.

Chess, clock, glasses, sled, scissors.

These nouns do not have a singular form.

We conclude: in the Russian language there are nouns that do not have a singular or plural form. We will get to know them in more detail in high school.

In this lesson we learned that nouns are inflected by number. There are two forms of number: singular and plural.

It turns out that in the Old Russian language, in addition to the singular and plural numbers familiar to us, there was another number that was used to designate paired objects. This is a dual number. The dual number was used to designate two or paired objects.

For example, eyes, sleeves, banks, horns.

Now this role is played by the plural.

Some nouns have several possible number forms, which differ in meaning:

« leaves" on the tree - " sheets» paper, « teeth» person - « teeth» pitchfork

1. Klimanova L.F., Babushkina T.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Education, 2012 (http://www.twirpx.com/file/1153023/)
2. Buneev R.N., Buneeva E.V., Pronina O.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Balass.
3. Ramzaeva T.G. Russian language. 2. - M.: Bustard.

1. Festival of pedagogical ideas "Open Lesson" ().
2. Nsportal.ru ().
3. Do.gendocs.ru ().

• Klimanova L.F., Babushkina T.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Education, 2012. Part 2. Do the exercise. 118, 119 P. 88.
• Divide the nouns from the poem into two columns: singular and plural.

The wind blows on the sea
And the boat speeds up;
He runs in the waves
On swollen sails.. (A. Pushkin)

• * Using the knowledge acquired in the lesson, come up with 2 puzzles or 3 riddles for the singular and plural of the noun.