Peshgam
Institute of Higher Education
Chapter one: Nouns
A. The plural forms of nouns
The plural form of most nouns is created simply by adding the letter s.
more than one snake = snakes
more than one ski = skis
more than one Barrymore = Barrymores
Words that end in -ch, x, s or s-like sounds, however, will require an -es for the
plural:
more than one witch = witches
more than one box = boxes
more than one gas = gases
more than one bus = buses
There are several nouns that have irregular plural forms. Plurals formed in this way
are sometimes called mutated (or mutating) plurals.
more than one child = children
more than one woman = women
more than one man = men
more than one person = people
more than one goose = geese
more than one mouse = mice
more than one barracks = barracks
more than one deer = deer
And, finally, there are nouns that maintain their Latin or Greek form in the plural.
more than one nucleus = nuclei
more than one syllabus = syllabi
more than one focus = foci
more than one fungus = fungi
more than one cactus = cacti (cactuses is acceptable)
more than one thesis = theses
more than one crisis = crises
more than one phenomenon = phenomena
more than one index = indices (indexes is acceptable)
more than one appendix = appendices (appendixes is acceptable)
more than one criterion = criteria
A handful of nouns appear to be plural in form but take a singular verb:
The news is bad.
Gymnastics is fun to watch.
Economics/mathematics/statistics is said to be difficult. ("Economics" can
sometimes be a plural concept, as in "The economics of the situation
demand that . . . .")
Numerical expressions are usually singular, but can be plural if the individuals
within a numerical group are acting individually:
Fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money.
One-half of the faculty is retiring this summer.
One-half of the faculty have doctorates.
Fifty percent of the students have voted already.
And another handful of nouns might seem to be singular in nature but take a plural
form and always use a plural verb:
My pants are torn. (Nowadays you will sometimes see this word as a
singular "pant" [meaning one pair of pants] especially in clothing ads, but
most writers would regard that as an affectation.)
Her scissors were stolen.
The glasses have slipped down his nose again.
When a noun names the title of something or is a word being used as a word, it is
singular whether the word takes a singular form or not.
Faces is the name of the new restaurant downtown.
Okies, which most people regard as a disparaging word, was first used to
describe the residents of Oklahoma during the 1930s.
Postcards is my favorite novel.
Special Cases
With words that end in a consonant and a y, you'll need to change the y to an i and
add es.
more than one baby = babies
more than one gallery = galleries
(Notice the difference between this and galleys, where the final y is not
preceded by a consonant.)
more than one reality = realities
This rule does not apply to proper nouns:
more than one Kennedy = Kennedys
Words that end in o create special problems.
more than one potato = potatoes
more than one hero = heroes
. . . however . . .
more than one memo = memos
more than one cello = cellos
. . . and for words where another vowel comes before the o . . .
more than one stereo = stereos
Plurals of words that end in -f or -fe usually change the f sound to a v sound and add
s or -es.
more than one knife = knives
more than one leaf = leaves
more than one hoof = hooves
more than one life = lives
more than one self = selves
more than one elf = elves
There are, however, exceptions:
more than one dwarf = dwarfs
more than one roof = roofs
Collective Nouns, Company Names,
Family Names, Sports Teams
There are, further, so called collective nouns, which are singular when we think of
them as groups and plural when we think of the individuals acting within the whole
(which happens sometimes, but not often).
audience family kind
band flock lot
class group [the] number
committee heap public
crowd herd staff
dozen jury team
Note that "the number" is a singular collective noun. "The number of applicants is
steadily increasing." "A number," on the other hand, is a plural form: "There are several
students in the lobby. A number are here to see the president."
The word following the phrase one of the (as an object of the preposition of) will
always be plural.
One of the reasons we do this is that it rains a lot in spring.
One of the students in this room is responsible.
Question: When do I use 'a', 'an' and 'the'
Answer: Here are the rules for when to use "A, An or The":
a = indefinite article (not a specific object, one of a number of the same
objects) with consonants
She has a dog.
I work in a factory.
an = indefinite article (not a specific object, one of a number of the same
objects) with vowels (a,e,i,o,u)
Can I have an apple?
She is an English teacher.
the = definite article (a specific object that both the person speaking and the
listener know)
The car over there is fast.
The teacher is very good, isn't he?
The first time you speak of something use "a or an", the next time you repeat
that object use "the".
I live in a house. The house is quite old and has four bedrooms.
I ate in a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant was very good.
DO NOT use an article with countries, states, counties or provinces, lakes
and mountains except when the country is a collection of states such as "The
United States".
He lives in Washington near Mount Rainier.
They live in northern British Columbia.
Use an article with bodies of water, oceans and seas
My country borders on the Pacific Ocean
DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about things in general
I like Russian tea.
She likes reading books.
DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about meals, places, and
transport
He has breakfast at home.
I go to university.
He comes to work by taxi.
How to Use Adjectives
An adjective describes how something 'is'. For this reason, we usually use the verb 'to be'
when using adjectives. Adjectives are used to describe nouns.
Example: He is a good doctor. Rule: Adjectives describe nouns. The adjective is always
invariable.
Example: beautiful trees, they are happy
Be careful!
Adjectives don't have a singular and plural form OR a masculine and femine form.
Adjectives are always the same! Never add a final -s to an adjective.
Adjectives can also be placed at the end of a sentence if they describe the subject of a
sentence. Example: My doctor is excellent.
NOT!!: difficults books
Rule: Adjectives are placed before the noun.
Example: a wonderful book very interesting people
Be careful!
Don't place an adjective after the noun
NOT!!: an apple red
What is a Pronoun?
A pronoun can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like "he,"
"which," "none," and "you" to make your sentences less cumbersome and less repetitive.
Grammarians classify pronouns into several types, including the personal pronoun,
the demonstrative pronoun, the interrogative pronoun, the indefinite pronoun, the relative
pronoun, the reflexive pronoun, and the intensive pronoun.
Personal Pronouns
A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to
indicate person, number, gender, and case.
Subjective Personal Pronouns
A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject
of the sentence. The subjective personal pronouns are "I," "you," "she," "he," "it," "we,"
"you," "they."
In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a subjective personal
pronoun and acts as the subject of the sentence:
I was glad to find the bus pass in the bottom of the green knapsack.
You are surely the strangest child I have ever met.
He stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him.
When she was a young woman, she earned her living as a coal miner.
After many years, they returned to their homeland.
We will meet at the library at 3:30 p.m.
It is on the counter.
Are you the delegates from Malaga watch?