According to the basic rule, the plural of nouns in English is formed by adding the ending to the end of the word –s or –es(if the noun ends in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, as well as for a number of nouns having Spanish origin and ending with -o, like tomato, mosquito, potato, hero, veto: tomato - tomatoes).
In nouns ending with a letter -y with a preceding consonant, y changes to i and adds -es: lady - ladies, party - parties. If the letter -y is preceded by a vowel, then simply add -s: boy - boys.
In the words calf, half, knife, leaf, life, loaf, self, sheaf, shelf, thief, wife, wolf, f in the plural changes to v+(e)s: shelf – shelves.
Some nouns in mind historical reasons have other ways of constructing the plural: man – men, woman – women, tooth – teeth, foot – feet, goose – geese, mouse – mice, louse – lice, child – children, ox – oxen, brother – brethren(brethren).
Now let's look at some special cases. You can practice using them and learn more during individual lessons with your teacher.
1. Collective nouns. They can be considered as a single indivisible whole or as a collection of individuals and objects. These include words such as class, team, crew, staff, group, army, team, committee, audience, family etc. If collective nouns denote a group as a single collective, then the predicate verb is used in the singular form, for example: His family was large. If collective nouns mean individual representatives, making up the group, then the predicate verb is used in the plural form, for example: My family are early risers. (My family members get up early).
Among collective nouns there are words that are always perceived as a set - nouns of Multitude. This: people, police, militia, clothes, cattle, poultry. They are used with plural verbs ( e.g. The police were on duty).
Noun people in the meaning of “people” it has the meaning of plural person: People are so mean here. However, in the meaning of “people” it can be used in both singular and plural: UNO helps all peoples of the world.
2. Uncountable nouns agree with the singular predicate. These are the nouns: meat, tea, butter, bread, juice, weather, accommodation, advice, permission, behavior, chaos, damage, furniture, luggage, baggage, news, knowledge, scenery, traffic, work, luck, research, progress, information etc.
3. Nouns having same shape singular and plural. Some of them end in -s: species, series, means (e.g. That species is rare. Those species are common). The other part never ends in -s: sheep, deer, fish (e.g. That deer is young. Those deer are old).
4. Nouns that do not have a plural form. This:
- names of sciences and sports: mathematics, physics, economics, statistics, ethics, gymnastics ( e.g. Physics was his favorite subject);
- some abstract nouns: news, politics ( e.g. What is the news?);
- names of diseases: measles, mumps, herpes.
5. B compound nouns
Usually only the second element takes a plural form: housewives, schoolchildren.
In compound nouns with the first element man/woman in the plural, both parts are changed: women-writers, gentlemen-farmers.
In words with the component -man it changes to -men: policeman – policemen.
If parts of a compound word are written with a hyphen, then the key component in meaning is placed in the plural form: man-of-war – men-of-war; hotel-keeper – hotel-keepers.
If a compound word does not have a noun element, then to form the plural you need to add -s to the last element: forget-me-nots, drop-outs.
6. Nouns denoting objects two-part, are used only in the plural form, for example: scissors, trousers, jeans, shorts, pajamas, spectacles, scales. Similar words often used in the phrase a pair of -s, for example: a pair of scissors, a pair of trousers etc.
7. Only in the singular form are used the nouns hair, money, knowledge, information, progress ( e.g. His hair was grey. The money is on the table).
8. Expression a number of agrees with the plural verb, and the number of requires a singular verb ( e.g. The number of people we need to hire is thirteen. A number of people have written in about this subject).
9. Nouns Latin and Greek origin:
Is > -es (Greek) basis, crisis, hypothesis, analysis, thesis, axis ( e.g. The hypothesis was supported by the data)
-on > -a (Greek) criterion, phenomenon ( e.g. These phenomena follow the Newton Law)
-us > -i (lat.) radius, alumnus, nucleus, genius
-a > -ae (lat.) formula, vita
-um > -a (lat.) datum, medium, bacterium
-ix /-ex > -ices (lat.) index, appendix
10. Words like dozen, score (ten), couple, pair, stone (measure of weight stone), head (cattle head) have both number forms, but if they are used together with a specific numeral, they remain singular: e.g. four dozen eggs, two score tables. If they are used to mean “many,” they take the plural form: e.g. scores of people, dozens of boxes.
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, which 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 components words, 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 in compound name noun has no noun element, 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- it's 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.
Even a person with high level English "suddenly" reveals that the list of irregular plural forms in English is not limited to "teeth", "men" and "children". And the presence of the ending “ae” in a group of words of Latin origin is a complete revelation.
Let's look at it in detail:
1. Formation of the plural by changing the root of a word
| man – men; |
| woman – women; |
| child – children; |
| ox – oxen; |
| mouse – mice; |
| louse – lice; |
| foot – feet; |
| tooth – teeth; |
| goose - geese. |
2. Nouns ending in “f/fe”
Some nouns that end in “f/fe” form plural. number by changing “f/fe” to “ves”, for example:
| leaf – leaves; |
| loaf – loaves; |
| half – halves; |
| calf – calves; |
| wolf – wolves; |
| self – selves; |
| shelf – shelves; |
| elf – elves; |
| thief – thieves; |
| sheaf – sheaves; |
| life – lives; |
| wife - wives; |
| knife – knives. |
But some nouns that end in “f/fe” form their plural by adding an “s”, for example:
Nouns that end in “ff” add the ending “s” to form plural. numbers: sheriff – sheriffs; cuff - cuffs.
3. Same singular and plural form
Some nouns have the same singular and plural form, for example:
| one sheep – two sheep; |
| a deer – two deer; |
| a bison – five bison; |
| a fish – two fish; |
| a salmon – several salmon; |
| a dozen – two dozen; |
| an aircraft – two aircraft; |
| a means – by all means; |
| a series – two series; |
| a species – different species. |
When such nouns are in the plural. number, they require a plural verb. number, for example:
Some fish are dangerous. Two sheep were in the forest. Modern aircraft are powerful machines.
Note: The word “fish” (herring, sprat, tuna, shark, etc.) in ordinary oral and writing has the same singular and plural forms. However, sometimes the plural form “fishes” (herrings, salmons, tunas, shrimps, etc.) can be used to refer to different species, varieties of individuals, for example: freshwater fish, aquarium fish. Some uncountable mass nouns are used in the plural in the same way when we're talking about about different types, varieties, varieties, for example: the teas of India (types of Indian tea), soft cheeses (soft cheeses), etc.
4.Only in plural
Nouns that denote an inseparable pair are used in the plural. number and with a plural verb. numbers, for example:
5. Only in the singular
Uncountable nouns are not used in the plural. Some uncountable nouns are similar in form to the plural, have the ending “s”, but are used only in the singular and with a singular verb:
mathematics, physics, economics, phonetics, politics, billiards (game), dominoes (game), news, measles, mumps (disease), for example:
| Physics is his favorite subject. |
| Billiards is an interesting game. |
| No news is good news. (proverb) |
| Mumps is a serious disease. |
6. Latin and Greek plural forms
Some nouns of Latin and Greek origin have retained their own endings pl. numbers.
Plural ending h. “es” as in the word “analyses” is pronounced; the ending “i” as in the word “alumni” is pronounced , the ending “ae” is pronounced .
Nouns with Latin and Greek plural endings are divided into groups according to their endings. English plural ending the numbers “s/es” are also used with some of these nouns; in such cases, two options are given, and the option with English ending“s/es” is marked with the letter (E).
| Group 1 |
| analysis – analyzes |
| axis – axes |
| basis – bases |
| crisis – crises |
| hypothesis – hypotheses |
| oasis – oases |
| parenthesis – parentheses |
| theses - theses |
| Group 2 |
| alumnus – alumni |
| cactus – cactuses (E) / cacti |
| calculus – calculi/calculuses (E) |
| corpus – corpora |
| fungus - fungi |
| genus – genera / genuses (E) |
| hippopotamus – hippopotamuses (E) / hippopotami |
| octopus – octopuses (E) / octopi |
| papyrus – papyri |
| radius – radii/radiuses (E) |
| stimulus – stimuli |
| syllabus – syllabuses (E) / syllabi |
| terminus – termini/terminuses (E) |
| Group 3 |
| criterion – criteria |
| phenomenon – phenomena |
| Group 4 |
| addendum – addenda |
| bacterium - bacteria |
| curriculum – curriculums (E) / curriculum |
| datum – data |
| erratum - errata |
| forum – forums (E) / fora |
| medium – media |
| memorandum – memorandums (E) / memoranda |
| Group 5 |
| alumna – alumnae |
| dogma – dogmas (E) / dogmata |
| enigma – enigmas (E) / enigmata |
| formula – formulas (E) / formulae |
| stigma – stigmata / stigmas (E) |
| vertebra – vertebrae / vertebras (E) |
| Group 6 |
| appendix – appendixes (E) / appendices |
| matrix – matrices / matrixes (E) |
| index – indexes (E) / indices |
| vertex – vertexes (E) / vertices. |
And some more comments
Nouns have two numbers: singular and plural.
1. The singular number is characterized by the absence of an ending:
- a cup, a table, a teacher, a day.
2. The plural of nouns is formed using the ending -s or -es:
- a sea - seas, a tent - tents, a bus - buses.
However, you should know that:
singular nouns ending in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, form the plural using the ending -es:
a process - processes; a box - boxes;
nouns ending in -O, in the plural ending in -es or at -s:
hero - heroes, potato - potatoes, tomato - tomatoes
bamboos, photos, pianos, radios, solos, videos.
1. Some nouns form the plural by changing the root vowel:
a man - men, a woman - women, a tooth - teeth, a foot - feet;
a goose - geese, a mouse - mice, etc.
2. There are nouns in which the singular and plural forms are the same:
aircraft (plane - airplanes), deer (deer - deer);
means (means - means), salmon (salmon - salmon);
series (row - rows, series - series);
sheep (sheep - sheep), trout (trout - trout);
works (factory - factories).
3. Noun child children.
4. Noun Oh in the plural it has the form oxen.
5. Noun penny has a plural form rence, if we are talking about a monetary amount, and the form pennies, if we mean individual coins:
It costs three pence. - It costs 3 pence.
Pennies are made of bronze. - Pence is made of bronze.
6. Nouns gate, sledge, watch, clock used in singular and plural:
The gate is open. - The gate is open.
My watch is slow. - My watch is slow.
(At the same time, in Russian the verb always has a plural form, although the noun itself is used in the singular.)
All the gates are open. - All gates are open.
He has two watches. - He has two hours.
7. Prefixed nouns man-, woman- have plural form on both sides of the word:
a man-servant - men-servants
8. Nouns that contain a preposition or adverb have an ending -s in its first part, if used in the plural:
a mother-in-law - mothers-in-law
a commander-in-chief - commanders-in-chief
9. Particularly noteworthy are nouns of Latin-Greek etymology, the formation of the plural of which has many options (it is difficult to list them, so we recommend that in cases where English language learners have doubts about the correctness of the option, check the plural in dictionaries):
- -us -es (chorus - choruses, circus - circuses, bonus - bonuses etc.), ending -i (stimulus - stimuli), have both options at the same time (cactus - cactuses/cacti; This group also includes words such as focus, nucleus, radius, syllabus);
- nouns of Latin origin -A can form plurals with the ending -ae (alumna - alumnae, larva - larvae), with ending -s (area - areas, arena - arenas, dilemma - dilemmas, diploma - diplomas, drama - dramas etc.), have both options (antenna - antennas, as a term in electronics, and antennae- in biology; formula - formulas V general meaning And formulae- in mathematics;
- nouns of Latin origin -um end in plural in -s (album - albums, museum - museums, chrysanthemum - chrysanthemums, stadium - stadiums etc.), on -a (stratum - strata, curriculum - curriculum), can have both options ( symposium - symposiums/symposia, memorandum - memorandums/memoranda and etc.);
- nouns of Latin origin -ex, -ix can have both double plural forms with endings -es And -ices (index - indices/indexes, appendix - appendices/appendixes, matrix - matrices/matrixes) or just the ending -ices at the noun codex - codes;
- nouns of Greek origin -is form the plural by changing the ending to -es (thesis - theses, crisis - crises, analysis - analyses, basis - bases etc.), there are cases of forming the plural by adding the ending -es (metropolis - metropolises) and many other variants of plural formation.
Number [?n?mb?(r)] Number
Singular [?s???j?l?(r)] Singular
Pural [?pl??r?l] Plural
Plural of nouns in English - grammatical category, expressing quantitative characteristics object.
The main rule for forming the plural of nouns in English is adding the ending -s/-es to the singular form. In this case, the following provisions must be observed:
1. -s is added to nouns that end in consonants and -ce, -ge, -se, -ze.
trace - traces trace
judge - judges judge
Note: For better perception of information, only a single number is indicated in the Russian translation. You need to understand that, for example, the same word in English and in Russian can only have a singular form in English, but both singular and plural forms in Russian.
2. -es is added to nouns that end in -o, -x, -s, -ss, -sh, -ch.
church - churches church
fox - foxes fox
3. If a noun ends in -y with a preceding consonant, then -y changes to -i and the ending -es is added.
lady - ladies
city - cities
4. If a noun ends in -y with a preceding vowel, then -y does not change, the ending -s is added.
day - days day
way - ways
5. For compound nouns, the ending is added to the main word.
father-in-law - fathers-in-law father-in-law (husband's father)
-s/-es pronounced by following rules:
1. [s] after voiceless consonants:
[f], [k], [p], [t], [θ], except [?], , (point 3)
2. [z] after vowels and voiced consonants:
[b], [?], [v], [m], [n], [?], [l], [r], [ð] + vowels, except [z], [?], (point 3 )
3. [?z] after hissing and whistling sounds:
[?], , [s], [z], [?], , , but not [θ] and [ð] (points 1 and 2)
Note: About sounds - in the material " ".
Plurals of nouns in English - Exceptions
There are certain categories of exception words that do not obey the higher rule. These include:1. Nouns in which the root vowel changes to form the plural; nouns that form the plural by adding the ending -en.
man - men
woman - women woman
goose - geese goose
tooth - teeth
foot - feet
mouse - mice mouse
child - children child
ox - oxen bull
penny - pence penny (small English coin equal to a hundredth of a pound sterling)
2. For nouns with the ending -f/-fe, it changes to -v with the addition of -es. This rule applies only to the following twelve nouns:
calf - calves calf
half - halves half
knife - knives knife
leaf - leaves leaf (of a tree)
life - lives life
loaf - loaves loaf
self - selves one’s own personality, one’s “I” (as a noun)
sheaf - sheaves bunch
shelf - shelves shelf (book shelf)
thief - thieves thief
wife - wives wife
wolf - wolves wolf
3. Nouns that came into English from Greek and Latin languages retained their plural form.
analysis - analyzes analysis
antenna - antennae antenna (in electronics)
antennae - antennas antenna (in biology)
appendix - appendices/appendixes application, addition, appendix
axis - axes axis
bacterium - bacteria
cactus - cactuses/cacti cactus
codex - codices ancient manuscript, codex
criterion - criteria criterion
crisis - crises crisis
datum - data given value, data element
diploma - diplomas diploma
drama - dramas drama
formula - formulae formula
formulae - formulas formula (in mathematics)
larva - larvae larva
locus - loci location, locus points, trajectory, gene position in chromosome
nucleus - nucleus
octopus - octopi/octopodes octopus
phenomenon - phenomenal phenomenon, phenomenon
stimulus - stimuli stimulus
stratum - strata layer, layer
thesis - theses thesis
and etc.
4. Nouns whose singular and plural forms are the same.
A. These are the nouns:
fish - fish fish
sheep - sheep
deer - deer deer
salmon - salmon
works - works factory
craft - craft ship
aircraft - aircraft aircraft
means - means way
series - series series
species - species species, genus
trout - trout trout
b. In addition, this rule includes names of nationalities ending in -ese/-ss:
Japanese - Japanese Japanese
Chinese - Chinese Chinese
Swiss - Swiss Swiss/Swiss
Portuguese - Portuguese Portuguese/Portuguese
5. Nouns that have only a singular number. These are uncountable nouns (both real and abstract).
A. Real
water - X water (but if used to mean "water", then you can use waters)
b. Abstract
relationship - X relationship
V. And:
advice - X advice
knowledge - X knowledge/knowledge
money - X money
progress - X progress
information - X information
fruit - X/fruits fruit
fish - X/fishes fish
Note: Nouns fruit and fish have the plural forms fruits and fishes respectively if the context implies different kinds fruit/fish.
D. Nouns that denote the names of any science, game or sport ending in -ics, as well as the word news, do not have a plural, although they are superficially similar to it.
news - X news
mathematics - X mathematics
physics - X physics
athletics - X athletics
6. Nouns that have only a plural form.
A. Some collective
X - clothes
X - police police
X - military troops
X - goods goods
X - cattle
b. Various paired items
X - scissors
X-trousers trousers
X - glasses
X - jeans jeans