Nouns: NUMBERCourse – BBA

Subject – English Communication and Life SkillsUnit – 1

Nouns: Number• Nouns: Number – A word which indicates

whether a noun is singular or plural is known as number.

• A noun has two numbers: a) The Singular Numberb) The Plural Number

Kinds of Nouns: Number• A noun that denotes one person or thing,

is said to be in the Singular Number; as, boy, book, pencil, tree, river, etc.

• A noun that denotes more than one person or thing, is said to be in the Plural Number; as boys, books, pencils, trees, rivers, etc.

• Thus, there are two numbers in English – the Singular and the Plural.

How are Plurals formed?

• Singular denotes ‘one’ and Plural denotes ‘more than one’.

RULE: 1• Nouns ending with ‘ch’, ‘sh’, ‘x’, ‘s’, ‘ss’ form their plurals by

adding “es” to the singular:• “es” is pronounced as ‘iz’Batch – batches Brush – brushes Box – boxes Glass – glasses

Branch – branches Dish – dishes Tax – taxes Class - Classes

Catch – catches Bush - bushes Fax - faxes Cross - crosses

Inch – inches Church – churches Sandwich – Sandwiches

Kiss – kisses

Patch – patches Match – matches Beach – beaches Lass - lasses

Torch – torches Peach – Peaches Crash – crashes Guess - guesses

Bench – benches Watch - watches Reflex – reflexes Address - addresses

Bunch – Bunches Ash - Ashes Virus – viruses Atlas – atlases

EXCEPTION TO RULE: 1• Ox – ends in x but we add “en” to make it Plural. • Ox – Oxen. Stomach – ends in ch but we add “s”

stomachs. • Other words:

Wax - waxes Fox – foxes Wish – Wishes Bus – Buses

Loss – Losses Pitch – Pitches Gas – Gases Dress - Dresses

RULE: 2• Nouns ending in “o” add “es” to make Plural.

Tomato – tomatoes Volcano – volcanoes

Potato – potatoes Motto – mottoes

Cargo – cargoes Avocado – avocadoes

Hero – heroes Domino – dominoes

Echo – echoes Dingo – dingoes

Buffalo – buffaloes Veto – vetoes

Mango – mangoes Embargo - embargoes

Mosquito - mosquitoes Negro - negroes

Cargo - Cargoes

Dingo - Dingoes

Domino - Dominoes Volcano - Volcanoes

Negro - Negroes

Avocado – Avocados/Avocadoes

Exceptions to Rule: 2Canto – Cantos Memento –

MementosCommando - Commandos

Kilo – Kilos Logo – Logos Bamboo – bamboos

Solo – Solos Ratio - Ratios Eskimo - Eskimos

Piano – Pianos Radio - Radios Kangaroo – Kangaroos

Photo – Photos Stereo – Stereos Video - Videos

Continued – Exceptions to Rule 2Zoo – zoos Patio – Patios Taco – Tacos

Casino – Casinos Zero – Zeros Sombrero - Sombreros

Sombrero - Sombreros

Taco - Tacos

Kangaroo - Kangaroos

Patio - Patios

Eskimo - Eskimos

RULE: 3• Nouns ending in ‘y’, preceded by a consonant, form

plural by removing ‘y’ and adding “ies”Lady - Ladies City - Cities Baby - Babies Army – Armies

Story - Stories Pony - Ponies Body - Bodies Country – Countries

Copy - Copies Cry - Cries Duty - Duties Family – Families

Diary – Diaries Fairy – fairies Fly - flies Reply – replies

Berry - berries Party - parties Jelly – Jellies Belly – Bellies

Cherry – cherries

Daisy - daisies Ferry - ferries Remedy – remedies

Exceptions to Rule: 3Day - days Ray - Rays Monkey – Monkeys

Play – plays Key - Keys Donkey - Donkeys

Boy - boys Delay - delays Toy – toys

Joy - Joys Chimney - Chimneys Valley - Valleys

RULE: 4• Nouns which end in ‘f’ or ‘fe’ add “ves” to

make plural:Leaf – Leaves Wife - Wives Life - Lives Thief – thieves

Loaf - Loaves Half - Halves Calf - Calves Knife – Knives

Self - Selves Wolf - Wolves Shelf - Shelves Elf - Elves

EXCEPTION TO RULE: 4Chief - Chiefs Handkerchief -

handkerchiefsDwarf – dwarfs

Belief - beliefs Roof - roofs Proof – proofs

Cliff - Cliffs Gulf - gulfs Safe – Safes

Cuff – cuffs Giraffe – Giraffes Reef – reefs

Hoof – hoofs Earmuff - earmuffs Dandruff – dandruffs

Cliff - Cliffs Reef - Reefs

Gulf - Gulfs Earmuff - Earmuffs

Dandruff - Dandruffs Hoof - Hoofs

Important• Sometimes a word may completely change its

form when a plural is made:Child - children Man - men Woman – women Goose - geese Mouse - mice Louse – liceTooth - teeth Foot - feet Person – people

Fungi - fungus Datum - data Cactus – CactiRadius - radii Formula –

formulae/formulasAgendum –

agendaBrother - brethren Medium - Media Syllabus –

Syllabi/syllabuses

Some words may same the same in their Singular and Plural forms:

Deer - Deer Sheep - Sheep Scissors – Scissors

News - News Information - Information Series – Series

Trousers - Trousers Socks - Socks Shorts – Shorts

Goods - Goods Valuable - Valuables Spectacles – Spectacles

Surroundings - Surroundings

Eatables - Eatables Billiards – Billiards

Wages - Wages Rice - rice Luggage – Luggage

Furniture - Furniture Dozen – dozen Hundred – hundred

Thousand – thousand Water - Water Jeans – Jeans

Exercise 1This - These

• This is a box.• These are boxes.• This is a lady.• These are ladies.• This is a story.• These are stories• This is a knife.• These are knives.

That - Those• That is a potato.• Those are potatoes.• That is a pen.• Those are pens.• That is a buffalo.• Those are buffaloes.• That is a leaf.• Those are leaves.

Exercise 2One - Many

• One glass – many glasses.• One dish – many dishes.• One tomato – many

tomatoes.• One army – many armies.• One wife – many wives.• One pencil – many pencils.• One mouse – many mice.• One louse – many lice.

One - Some• One school – some schools.• One brush – some brushes.• One watch – some watches.• One mango – some mangoes.• One hero – some heroes.• One city – some cities.• One match – some matches.• One mosquito – some

mosquitoes.

Exercise 3There is … • There is one branch in this

tree.• There is a sharpener on the

table.• There is an eraser in my bag.• There is a cow in the field.• There is a leaf on the road.• There is a mobile in the

shop.

There are …• There are many/few

branches in this tree.• There are many/some

sharpeners on the table.• There are erasers in my bag.• There are cows in the field.• There are leaves on the road.• There are mobiles in the

shop.

Recourses/References • Advanced English Grammar by Wren and Martine• https://www.google.co.in/search?q=images+noun+plural+and+singular&biw• www.google.co.in/search?q=images+noun+plural+and+singular • www.google.co.in/search