Nouns have two numbers: the only thing and plural.

1. The only thing the number is characterized by the absence of an ending:
a cup, a table, a teacher, a day.

2. Plural the number of nouns is formed by ending -s or -es :
a sea - sea s, a tent - tent s, a bus - bus es .

However, you should be aware that:

Singular nouns ending in-ss, -sh, -ch, -NS , -z, form the plural with the ending-es: a proce ss- proce ss es; a bo x- bo x es;

Nouns ending in -O, plural ends in -es or at -s:
her o- her o es, potato - potatoes, tomato - tomatoes
bamboos, photos, pianos, radios, solos, videos.

Some nouns have a singular ending -O, plural have double ending -s / -es:
carg o- carg o s/ carg o es, volcano - volcanoes / volcanos;

In nouns ending in -ywith consonant in front of her, -y changes plural to -i :
a ba b y - bab i es, a country - countries;
in those nouns where before -y costs vowel, -y does not change.
a d a y - da y s, a boy - boys;

Most nouns ending in -f or -fe, plural ends in -ves:
a wi fe- wi ves, a knife - knives, a shelf - shelves, life - lives, as well as wolf, self, calf, leaf, loaf, chief, half, thief, sheaf
Ho:
a handkerchief - handkerchiefs, a roof - roofs, a proof - proofs, a belief - beliefs;
a hoof - hoofs / hooves, a scarf - scarfs / scarves, a wharf - wharfs / wharves.

Special cases of plural formation

1. Some nouns are plural, changing the root vowel :

a m a n - m e n, 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 are the same:

aircraft (aircraft - aircraft), 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 plural is of the form oxen.

5. Noun penny is plural rence if it comes to sum of money, and the shape pennies if you mean individual coins:

It costs three reense... - It costs 3p.
Pennies are made of bronze. - Pens are made of bronze.

6. Nouns gate, sledge, watch, clock are used singular and plural:

The gate is open. - The gate is open.
My watch is slow. - My watch is behind.
(Moreover, in Russian, the verb always has the plural form, although the noun itself is used in the singular.)
All the gates are open. - All gates are open.
Doesn't have two watches. - He has two watches.

7. Nouns with a prefix man-, woman- are plural in both parts of the word:

a man-servant - men-servants

8. Nouns containing a preposition or an adverb, have a -s ending in the first part, if used in the plural:

a mother-in-law - mothers-in-law
a commander-in-chief - commanders-in-chief

9. Especially noteworthy are nouns. Latin-Greek etymology, the formation of the plural of which has many options (it is difficult to list them, therefore, we recommend that in cases where English learners have doubts about the correctness of the option, check the plural in dictionaries):

-us -es(chor us- chorus es, circus - circuses, bonus - bonuses, etc.), with the ending -i (stimulus - stimuli), have both options at the same time (cactus - cactuses / cacti; words such as focus, nucleus, radius, syllabus);

nouns of Latin origin in -but can be plural with the ending -he(alumn a- alumn ae, larva - larvae), with the ending -s(are a- area s, 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 in a general meaning and formulae - in mathematics;

nouns of Latin origin in -um end in plural in -s(alb um- album s, museum - museums, chrysanthemum -chrysanthemums, stadium - stadiums, etc.), on -a (stratum - strata, curriculum - curricula), can have both options (symposium - symposiums / symposia, memorandum - memorandums / memoranda, etc.);

nouns of Latin origin in -ex, -ix can have both double plural forms with endings -es and -ices(ind ex- ind ic e s/ index es, appendix - appendices / appendixes, matrix - matrices / matrixes) or just the -ices ending on a noun cod ex- codices;

nouns of Greek origin in -is form plural, changing ending on -es(thes is- thes es, crisis - crises, analysis - analyzes, basis - bases, etc.), there are cases of plural formation using additions endings -es(metropolis - metropolis es) and many other options for the formation of the plural.

Nouns used only in the singular

1. Some nouns are usedin English only in the singular, and in Russian, nouns with the same meaning can have both singular and plural:advice, information, knowledge, progress, furniture, money:

He gave me some useful advice. I "ll follow it. - He gave me (some) useful advice. I will follow it.
The money is on the table. Take it. - Money on the stop. Take them.

2. Nounsuncountable, denoting substances or concepts, usually used only in the singular:sugar, iron, love, friendship, peace, ink, weather and etc.

There is a lot of chalk on the table.

3. Nounshair, vacation, fruitbasicallyused in the singular:

Her hair is dark. - She has dark hair.
Summer vacation lasts three months. - Summer vacation lasts three months.
Fruit is cheaper in summer. - Fruit is cheaper in summer.
but:
to designate different, separate types of fruits a noun is used in the form plural fruits numbers:
There are plums, peaches, oranges and other fruits on the table. - Plums, peaches, oranges and other fruits on the table.
if before the noun vacation there is a numeral, then it is used in plural including:
Our children have four vacations every year. - Our children have vacations 4 times a year.
if the noun hair matters countable noun, then it has the plural form:
a hair - hairs

4. Nounfish are used basicallyin the singular (in various contexts, such as when talking about fishing):

We caught only a few fish. - We only caught a few fish.
Fish plural (in the form of fishes) is used when it comes to certain types of fish
the fishes of the Mediterranean - fishes of the Mediterranean

5. Nounnewsused in Englishonly in singular, although it is in the plural form:

What "s the news? - What news?

6. Names of sciences and (scientific) disciplinesending in-ics, are used with singular and plural verbs, which is determined by their meaning:

athletics, gymnastics, linguistics, physics etc. are mainly used with singular verbs:
Physics is not the most popular school subject. - Physics is not my favorite subject at school.
acoustics, economics, phonetics, statistics, ethics, politics, etc. are used with the singular verb when it comes to scientific disciplines. If they have a different, special meaning, then they are used with the plural verb:
His mathematics are poor. - He has poor knowledge of mathematics.
Your statistics are unreliable. - Your statistics are unreliable.

Plural only nouns

1. Words denotingpaired items(for example: trousers, pants, shorts, scissors, glasses, scales, spectacles, tongs, pyjamas),names of some games(ex: billiards, drafts) andgeneralizing concepts(for example: clothes, goods, savings), are used only in the plural:

These scissors are very sharp. - These scissors are very sharp.
His clothes were wet. - His clothes were wet.
(Note that the noun "clothes" in Russian always agrees with the singular verb.)

2. Nounspotatoes, onions, carrots, oatsare used in the plural, but they are singular:

Carrots are very healthy. - Carrots are very healthy.
The carrot you gave me was very tasty. “The carrots you gave me were delicious.

3. Nounspeople, the military, the police, cattleused with the plural verb; at the same time, the word people can also have the plural peoples with the meaning "peoples, people of different nationalities":

There were many young people there. - There were many young people (young people).
The peoples of this country are happy. - The people of this country are happy.

Once again, we remind you that as a general rule, to form the plural form, we add the ending -s to the noun: dog-dogs, nail-nails, lip-lips. But this rule does not always work.

1. If a noun ends in -y and is preceded by a consonant, -y is changed to "i" and the ending -es is added: fly - flies, army-armies, lady-ladies. There are no changes only in personal names: Mary-Marys.
2. If a noun ends in -y and is preceded by a vowel, -y does not change: toy-toys, boy-boys, key-keys.
3. If the noun ends in a hiss or sibilants, the ending -es is added: fox-foxes, speech-speeches, kiss-kisses.
4. Nouns ending in -f, -fe change to -v (13): a calf (calf) - calves, an elf (elf) - elves, a half (half) - halves, a knife (knife) - knives, a leaf (leaf) - leaves, a life (life) - lives, a loaf (roll) - loaves, a sheaf (sheaf) - sheaves, a shelf (shelf) - shelves, a thief (thief) -thieves, a wife (wife) - wives, a wolf (wolf) - wolves, a self (one face) - selves (faces) ... Please note that pronunciation also becomes voiced.
5. Particularly difficult are nouns ending in "o": as a general rule, add the ending -es (potatoes, tomatoes, heroes, echoes, mosquitoes, vetoes, negroes, volcanoes), but there may be a -s ending as well:

• if there is a vowel before the "o": a zoo-zoos, a video-videos;
• in abbreviations and abbreviations: discos, kilos, photos, pianos, hippos;
• in borrowed words: tobacos, sopranos;
• in proper names: Romeo-Romeos, Julio-Julios.

Nouns that do not change according to the rules and need to be learned by heart, we write down in the table.

Singular	Plural	Translation
		corps (military)
		rail, narrow board
		man human
		staff, headquarters

Note.

1. Both in Russian and in English there is words that are only plural because they consist of several indivisible parts... For example, trousers- trousers, spectacles- glasses, scissors- scissors, scales- scales, tongs- tongs.

Where are my spectacles?

These scissors are sharp.

Your trousers are too short.

2. Please note that in English there are nouns that are used in the plural, but in Russian they are translated by a single number... For example, wages- salary, contents- content, clothes- clothes, stairs- stairs, arms- weapon, goods- product, oaths- oath, riches- treasure, potatoes- potato, onions- onion, carrots- carrot.

His wages are high. (He has a high salary).

The contents have not been changed. (Content unchanged).

His clothes were wet. (His clothes were damp.)

The stairs are steep.

The goods have arrived. - The item has arrived.

Potatoes are very cheap in autumn. - Potatoes are very cheap in autumn.

3. Word " vacation"(vacation, vacation) is usually used only in the singular (Our summer vacation lasts 2 months) and very rarely in the plural (We have 2 vacations a year).

4. In English, the nouns " gate ", "sledge" (sled), " watch ", "clock"are used both in the singular and in the plural. In Russian - only in the plural.

The gate is open. - The gate is open.

All the gates were closed. - All the gates were closed.

5. English has nouns ending in "-s" that have the same singular and plural forms: a crossroads - crossroads, a means - means, a series - series, a species - species, a works (plant) - works (factories).

6. Nouns denoting nationality and ending in -ese, -ss have one form: a Chinese - the Chinese, a Swiss - the Swiss.

7. Let's list the nouns that can have only one form that matches a single number:

• abstract nouns knowledge, advice, progress, information (Your advice is helpful - your advice is good);
• collective nouns equipment, money, hair, furniture (The money is in the pocket - The money is in the pocket);
• some nouns in -s: news, gallows(gallows), summons(agenda);
• nouns on -ics: politics, mathematics, Phonetics;
• game names: billiards (billiards), bowls (pins), draughts (checkers), dominoes;
• names of diseases: measles (measles), mumps (mumps), shingle (rubella).

As you know, English nouns can be singular or plural. Plural of nouns in English language, as well as in Russian, is used to designate two or more objects.

Although unions may be good for a worker, singular, they are not always good for workers, plural. Especially when it comes to finding a job.

If unions can be good for the worker in the singular, then they are not always good for the worker in the plural. Especially when it comes to finding a job.

Plural rules in English in comparison with Russian, they do not require memorizing a huge number of endings, alternating vowels or missing consonants. But, as in any other language, there are exceptions and peculiarities of use.

How to add a plural ending correctly, which English nouns do not form a plural according to the rules? This article will tell you about this and much more.

Plural formation in English

Reference Table: English Plural Formation

As you know, there are many more in English than uncountable ones. Countable English nouns Countable nouns) can be singular or plural.

Singular(eng. singular) is used to refer to one subject:

a pencil(Russian pencil)

a boy(Russian boy

a house(Russian house)

Plural(eng. plural) means that there are more than one items: two, three, four, many, few, etc.

two pencils(Russian two pencils)

three boys(Russian three boys)

many houses(Russian many houses)

To use the plural noun correctly, you need to know the rules of education, of which there are not so many.

Plural rules ending -s

Nouns in English form the plural by adding the singular to the form endings –s.

Remember:

The plural of most English nouns is formed with an ending - (e) s, which is added to the noun in the singular.

Ending -s can be pronounced like [z] after voiced consonants and vowels or as [s] after voiceless consonants.

Examples of plurals with the ending -s

However, despite the main -s ending rule for plural, there are small variations in its addition, which are most often associated with easier pronunciation or a historically established tradition.

Plural -es ending

Singular nouns ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -tch, -x, -z (whistling or hissing sounds) form the plural with endings –es to the singular form.

In this case the ending -es pronounced like [ɪz] .

Examples of plurals ending in -es

Sometimes the ending -es confused with ending -s which is added after the silent –E with a preceding consonant -s, -c, -z, -g... Compare:

Plural -es after -y, examples

If a singular noun ends in consonant + y, then plural the letter -y changes to -i and the ending is added -es.

If before -y stands for a vowel, then the plural is formed according to the general rule: the ending is added - s, but the letter -y does not change to -i.

Plural -es after -f, examples

Nouns that end in singular with -f changes -f to -v and adding endings –es.

Nouns that end in singular -fe, form the plural by changes -f to -v and adding endings –s.

However, there are a few nouns that do not fit this rule: they do not change the letter -f to -v and only add ending -s

Noun wharf(Russian pier) can have two plural forms: wharfs and wharves... Both options are correct.

The ending s or es after -о in the plural

Support table for the formation of plurals of nouns ending in -o

Most nouns singular ending in - o, plural with endings –es.

Some nouns that end in -o, add only ending -s, that is, they follow the general rule:

But there is another group of nouns, ending in -o which can be plural in two ways: by adding endings -s or -es... Here are some of them:

Having memorized these words, you will not panic when Google translator or Microsoft Office word spelling editor shows red errors in the word.

Pronunciation of the ending -es in English nouns

So you see that most nouns are plural by adding ending - (e) s.

As you remember, this ending has several pronunciation options, depending on which letter or sound it comes after.

It is important to remember how to pronounce this ending correctly in different words so that your speech resembles that of native speakers.

English plural table

The following table will make it easier to memorize plural nouns:

Nouns	Plural rules	Singular	Plural
most nouns	ending -s	one bird one street one rose	two birds two streets two roses
nouns ending in sibilants -sh, -ch, -x, -s	ending -es	one dish one match one class one box	two dishes two matches two classes two boxes
nouns end in consonant + y	change -y to -i and add the ending -es one	baby one city	two babies two cities
nouns end in vowel + y	do not change -y, add -s ending	one toy one key	two toys two keys
most nouns that end in -f, -fe	change -f to -v and add the ending -es	one knife one shelf	two knives two shelves
some nouns that end in -f	do not change -f and add -s ending	one belief one cliff one chief one roof one cuff	two beliefs two cliffs two chiefs two roofs two cuffs
most nouns that end in -o	ending -s	one zoo one radio one studio one piano one solo one soprano one photo one auto one video	two zoos two radios two studios two pianos two solos two sopranos two photos two autos two videos
some nouns that end in a consonant and the letter -о	ending -es	one tomato one potato one hero one echo	two tomatoes two potatoes two heroes two echoes
multiple nouns ending in -о	the ending -es / -s	one zero one volcano one tornado one mosquito	two zeroes / zeros two volcanoes / volcanos two tornadoes / tornados two mosquitoes / mosquitos
some nouns	do not change	one fish one deer one offspring one species	two fish two deer two offspring two species
irregular nouns	change vowels or completely form	one child one foot one goose one tooth one man one woman one mouse one person	two children two feet two geese two teeth two men two women two mice two people
borrowing	other endings borrowed from other languages	one bacterium one cactus one crisis one phenomenon one datum	two bacteria two cacti two crises two phenomena two data

Plural in English exceptions

The famous English proverb “There’s a black sheep in every flock”

Some nouns do not form plurals according to the general rule - using endings -s, but by changing the root vowels or adding atypical endings.

Such words are sometimes called irregular nouns... Let's take a closer look at the exceptions in the formation of the plural of nouns.

Plural exclusion words

Some small patterns can be found among the exception words.

1. Nouns change the root vowel, the pronunciation of the noun in the plural changes accordingly.

Usually the word "people"(Russian people) is used as the plural of the word "person" - one person- one man, three people- three persons.

Sometimes a word "people"(Russian people) is used when they talk about a people, and the word "peoples"- to designate different peoples. And sometimes in official communication or on signs the word "persons" .

2. The plural is added ending -en instead of -s, sometimes with a root vowel change

3. Some nouns do not change the form of the singular plural, pronunciation too

Word fish(Russian fish) is a special word. This noun has the same singular and plural forms: one fish, five fish.

There is also a form fishes, but it has a different meaning, more than one type or kind: fish- for one species, fishes- for different types.

The plural of loanwords in English

Plural of nouns in English: all exceptions.

As you saw from the table "Formation of plural nouns", many English words of foreign origin do not form plurals according to the rules.

For example, borrowings from Greek pronunciation retained the plural form of their native language:

Special cases of the use of plural nouns

• Noun penny(Russian penny) is plural pence when it comes to the amount of money. When individual coins are meant, the form is used pennies.

• Nouns dozen(Russian dozen, ten) and score(rus. twenty) have the same form for the singular and plural, if they appear after the numerals: two dozen eggs(Russian two dozen eggs) and two score (of) years(Russian forty years). When these nouns are used without a numeral, they form a plural with the addition endings –s.

• Nouns works(Russian plant) and means(Russian means) have the same form for singular and plural.

• Unlike Russian, nouns gate(Russian gate), sledge(Russian sleigh), watch(Russian wrist watch), clock(Russian wall clock) in English can be used in the singular and plural.

• Nouns export(Russian export) and import(Russian import) are used in the plural form when it comes to the quantity and value of exported or imported goods. In the plural, they add ending -s... When it comes to the process of export or import, the singular form is used.

It should be noted that ending -s does not always denote the multiplication of objects; quite often the noun formed by him acquires a new sense of singular. Closest example: word- word, words- words (plural), but also: conversation, speech, disagreement, quarrel (singular).

Plural in compound nouns

Compound or compound nouns are made up of two or more words, usually nouns. In these words, there are special rules for the formation of the plural.

Rule 1

In compound nouns that written together only accepts the second word.

Rule 2

In compound nouns that hyphenated, the plural is usually takes a key meaning word.

Rule 3

If the first element man / woman, then plural both parts will change :

Rule 4

If in a compound noun no nouns, that is, it consists of verbs, particles or adjectives), then the ending -s, usually, added to the last item

Instead of a conclusion:

As you can see, the rules for forming the plural in English are not that complicated. They can tell you more about them, and in order to remember them better, we recommend doing a few plural exercises right now.

Today we will learn all about the formation of the plural in English. It would seem that it is enough to add -s to the end of the word, and the plural form of the noun is ready! But not everything is so simple. Let's figure it out.

A noun is a part of speech that denotes an object (a chair), a person (a child - a child), an animal (a cat - a cat), a substance (milk - milk), a phenomenon (rain - rain) or an abstract concept (happiness - happiness).

It is important to remember that the plural or singular form of a noun is also important for the alignment of the subject (who? / What?) With the predicate (what does?). For countable nouns, we use the singular or plural form of the verb. And with uncountable nouns, we use the verb only in the singular.

Kids are curious. - Children curious.
My kid is curious. - My child curious.
The milk is too hot for me. - Milk too hot for me.

So that the rules for the formation of the plural are not forgotten, but firmly settled in the head, they need to be practiced in practice. To do this, sign up for.

Basic rules for the formation of the plural in English

There are several ways to form the plurality of countable nouns in English:

1. The most common rule is to add the ending -s to the singular noun:

   an apple - apples
   a pen - pens
   a problem - problems

   We pronounce the ending -s as / z / after voiced consonants or vowels. For example: dogs / dɒɡz / (dogs), hands / hændz / (hands), keys / kiːz / (keys).

   If the word ends in a voiceless consonant, then the ending -s is pronounced as / s /. For example: lamps / læmps / (lamps), myths / mɪθs / (myths), skirts / skɜːts / (skirts).

2. If a word ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, or -x, add the ending -es to form the plural.

   a bus - buses
   a dress - dresses
   a brush - brushes
   a watch - watches
   a box - boxes

   In this case, we pronounce the ending -es as / iz /. For example: glasses / ɡlɑːsiz / (glasses), boxes / bɒksiz / (boxes).

   Let's listen to blogger Rachel's pronunciation:

3. If the word ends in -o, the ending can be -es or -s. To choose the right one, it is better to consult a dictionary.

   Ending -es:

   a tomato - tomatoes
   a hero - heroes.

   Ending -s:

   a kilo - kilos (kilogram - kilograms)
   a photo - photos (photography - photos)

4. If a word ends in -y preceded by a consonant, the plural ending is -ies.

   a cherry - cherries
   a lady - ladies
   a puppy - puppies

   But if there is a vowel before -y, then nothing needs to be changed - just add the ending -s.

   a boy - boys
   a day - days
   a monkey - monkeys

5. There are a number of nouns that change the -f / -fe ending to -ves in the plural. These exceptions include the following words:

   a calf - calves (calf - calf)
   an elf - elves
   a shelf - shelves
   a half - halves
   a knife - knives
   a thief - thieves
   a leaf - leaves
   a life - lives
   a loaf - loaves
   a wife - wives
   a wolf - wolves (wolf - wolves).

   And words like a dwarf (dwarf, gnome), a hoof (hoof), a scarf (scarf), a wharf (wharf) in the plural can have both the ending -fs and -ves.

6. There are a number of nouns whose plural forms you just need to remember.

   a person - people
   a man - men
   a woman - women
   a child - children
   a foot - feet
   a tooth - teeth
   a goose - geese
   a mouse - mice
   a louse - lice (louse - lice)
   an ox - oxen (bull - bulls)

7. And one more group - nouns, the forms of which in the singular and plural are the same. Here are some of them:

   a sheep - sheep
   a swine - swine
   an aircraft - aircraft
   a means - means
   a crossroads - crossroads
   a series - series

Special cases of plural formation in English

1. Uncountable nouns in English

   What if we still need to indicate the plurality of something uncountable? In this case, before the noun itself, you must put words indicating its number:

   • Capacity, container:

     two cartons of juice - two cartons of juice
     three bottles of wine - three bottles of wine
     four cups of tea - four cups of tea
     five glasses of water - five glasses of water
     six jars of jam - six jars of jam
     seven boxes of cereal - seven boxes of cereal
     eight cans of coke - eight cans of cola
     nine tins of tuna - nine cans of tuna
     ten tubes of toothpaste - ten tubes of toothpaste

   • Unit of measurement:

     two kilos of sugar - two kilograms of sugar
     three liters of petrol - three liters of gasoline
     four pounds of butter - four pounds of butter
     five meters of cable - five meters of cable

   • Unit (products, goods):

     three loaves of bread - three slices of bread
     four bars of chocolate - four chocolate bars
     five slices of cheese - five slices of cheese

   If you cannot find a unit of measurement for an uncountable noun, use the piece of construction.

   He gave me three pieces of advice... - He gave me three tips.

   Pay attention to nouns in which the -s ending does not indicate the plural, as these are uncountable nouns.

   gymnastics - gymnastics
   billiards - billiards
   measles - measles
   maths - mathematics

   Measles is an infectious disease. - Measles- infection.
   Gymnastics is my favorite sport. - Gymnastics- My favorite sport.

2. Nouns that are used only in the plural. Accordingly, these words are used with the plural verb.

   police - police
   cattle - cattle
   clothes - clothes
   stairs - stairs

   The police are looking for the robbers. - Police are looking for robbers.

   Also, nouns that are used only in the plural include objects consisting of two parts - paired. Most often these are tools, clothing and accessories.

   jeans - jeans
   trousers - trousers
   pyjamas (BrE), pajamas (AmE) - pajamas
   tights - tights
   pliers - pliers
   pincers - forceps
   shears - secateurs

   Use pairs of to form the plural of paired nouns.

   She wants to try on a few more pairs of sunglasses before the purchase. - Before buying, she wants to try on more multiple pairs of sunglasses.
   You should have at least two pairs of binoculars for birdwatching. - You must have at least two pairs of binoculars for bird watching.

3. Collective nouns

   Collective nouns denote a group of people or objects that are considered as a whole. With such nouns, we can use the verb in both the singular and the plural.

   staff - staff
   a team - team
   a crew - crew
   a family - family
   a company - company

   Most often it doesn't matter which number you choose, but sometimes one of the forms is more appropriate in context. It all depends on whether you are talking about the group as something whole (singular) or considering separately each member of the group (plural).

   The team was playing well. - Team played well.
   The team were playing well. - Everyone in the team played well.

   My family is very important to me. - My family very important to me.
   My family are going away next weekend. - All members of my family leaving next weekend.

We hope you have memorized everything about the formation of plural nouns in English. And if in doubt about choosing the right shape, refer to. You will find more topics in our series of articles "" and "".

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Test on the topic "Plural of nouns in English"

In English, the noun has singular and plural forms: dog - dogs, box - boxes.

The singular form is transmitted by the so-called. "Zero ending" - wall_ (wall - ending "missing").

The most common way to form plurals is to add an ending –S by the way: cat - cats, wall - walls.

Another common way is to add an ending –Es.

1. The ending -es is added: to the stem of the word if it ends with –S, -ss, x, z, ch, tch, sh:

• class - classes (class - classes);
• bush - bushes (bush - bushes);
• box - boxes;
• inch - inches
• fox - foxes (fox - foxes);
• match - matches (match - matches, match - matches).

As a rule, in such words, the ending -s is pronounced like.

2. To the stem of a word that ends with consonant + y with the ending - at changes to –I:

• army - armies (army - armies);
• country - countries
• duty - duties (debt - debts, tax - taxes).

The ending -es in this case is pronounced as [z].

3. If the word ends with a vowel + y, then we add to the base of the word -s:

• Boy - boys (boy - boys);
• Toy - toys (toy - toys);
• Day - days.

The ending -s in this case is pronounced as [z].

4. To the base that ends in -O In most cases:

• hero - heroes,
• potato - potatoes

• Zoo - zoos (zoo - zoos);
• Photo - photos (photography - photos);
• Solo - solos (solo);
• Piano - pianos (piano);
• Video - videos (video);
• Radio - radios (radio).

12 nouns that end in –F or –Fe, the plural is formed by - es... Wherein –F changes to –V and the ending -es reads [z].

• Calf - calves (calf - calves);
• Half - halves (half - half);
• Knife - knives (knife - knives);
• Leaf - leaves (leaf - leaves);
• Life - lives (life - life);
• Loaf - loaves (loaf - loaves);
• Self - selves (personality - personalities);
• Sheaf - sheaves;
• Shelf - shelves
• Thief - thieves (thief - thieves);
• Wife - wives (wife - wives);
• Wolf - wolves (wolf - wolves).

All other nouns ending in f are plural with the ending -s, which is pronounced [s]:

• Chief - chiefs (chief - chiefs);
• Cliff - cliffs;
• Roof - roofs;
• Kerchief - kerchiefs (kerchief - kerchiefs, kerchief - kerchiefs).

Exception words

A number of nouns form the plural in a special way that does not follow the rules, namely by changing the vowel at the base of the word. This is an old way of forming plurals of nouns, so the forms of these plural words need to be remembered:

• Child - children (child - children);
• Foot - feet (stora - feet);
• Goose - geese (goose - geese);
• Man - men (man - men, man - people);
• Woman [’wumən] [’ wuman] - women [‘wɪmɪn] ([‘ wumn] woman - women);
• Mouse - mice (mouse - mice);
• Ox - oxen (bull - bulls);
• Tooth - teeth (tooth - teeth);
• Louse - lice (louse - lice).

Noun man often forms words with other nouns, usually denoting nationality or profession. In these cases, man becomes plural like this:

• Englishman - Englishmen (Englishman - Englishmen);
• Fireman - firemen (fireman - firefighters);
• Businessman - businessmen (businessman - businessmen).

Matching singular and plural forms

There are nouns that have the same singular and plural forms (the plural is the same as the singular):

• sheep (sheep - sheep),
• swine (pig - pigs),
• fish (fish - fish),
• salmon (salmon - salmon);
• trout (trout - trout);
• deer (deer - deer)
• works (factory - factories);)
• carft (ship - ship);
• aircraft (aircraft - aircraft);
• means (means - means);
• series (series - series).

These nouns also include the names of nationalities that end in –Ese and - ss, For example:

• Chinese - Chinese, Chinese, Chinese
• Japanese - Japanese, Japanese
• Swiss - Swiss, Swiss.

The plural of nouns borrowed from Latin and Greek

Some words borrowed from Latin and Greek in the 15th century retain their plural forms:

Latin words:

• Antenna (antenna) - antennae;
• Datum (given value) - data;
• Erratum (typing error) - errata;
• Formula (formula) - formulae;
• Genius (spirit, demon) - genii;
• Radius (radius) - radii;
• Stimulus - stimuli.

Greek words:

• Bacterium (bacteria) - bacteria;
• Crisis (crisis) - crises;
• Ellipsis (ellipse) - ellipses;
• Thesis (theses) - theses;
• Criterion - criteria;
• Phenomenon (phenomenon) - phenomena;
• Stadium (stadium) - stadia.

Plural formation of compound nouns

Complex nouns are formed in a special way.

If a compound noun is spelled together, the ending –s (–es) is appended to the last part of the word:

• Schoolboy - schoolboys (schoolboy - schoolchildren);
• Blackboard - blackboards (board - boards).

If a compound noun is spelled hyphenated, then the ending is given to that part of the complex noun that carries the main meaning:

• Daughter-in-law - daughters-in-law (daughter-in-law - daughters-in-law);
• Passer-by - passers - by (passer-by - passers-by).

Nouns that are used only in the singular

(Singularia Tantum)

In English, there are nouns that are only singular. These include:

1. Nouns denoting products: bread - bread, tea - tea, milk - milk.
2. Abstract nouns: love - love, advice - advice.
3. Words with the -ics suffix: athletics - athletics, mathematics - mathematics.
4. Names of games, diseases that end in - s: billiards - billiards, mumps - pig.
5. Nouns such as: weather - weather, luggage - luggage, furniture - furniture, money - money, news - news.

Nouns that are used only in the plural

(Pluralia Tantum)

In English, there are nouns that are only plural. These include:

1. Nouns denoting paired objects: trousers - trousers, pyjamas (pajamas) - pajamas, scissors - scissors, glasses - glasses, binoculars - binoculars.
2. Some collecting items: clothes - clothes, goods - goods, people - people, police - police, cattle - livestock.

Nouns that have only singular or only plural forms are uncountable nouns, i.e. ones that cannot be counted. Singularia Tantum agrees with words only in the singular, Pluralia Tantum only in the plural. The indefinite article a / an is never used with the words of this group in the singular; instead of the indefinite article, the indefinite pronoun some is used:

• Some milk - milk (a little, a certain amount of milk);
• Some bread - bread (a little, some amount of bread).

However, some nouns have special forms of singularity or designation of a certain number;

• A piece of advice - one piece of advice;
• A piece of furniture - a piece of furniture;
• A piece of news - one piece of news;
• A piece of water - a glass of water;
• A piece of bread - a loaf of bread;
• A piece of meat - a kilogram of meat;
• A piece of sugar - a kilogram of sugar;
• A piece of flour - a kilogram of flour, etc.

Remember that ONLY nouns acquire plurals! The adjectives before the noun do not agree with the number:

• Young girls - young girls;
• Little boys are little boys.

Designation of a group of people

The subject (who? What?), Expressed by a noun that denotes a group of people, agrees with the predicate in the singular or plural:

• singular if the group is perceived as a whole: Our team was the best in the country. - Our team was the best in the country.
• plural if referring to all team members: Our team were all given medals. - All members of our team got medals.

Dependence of the meaning of some nouns on their number

Some nouns, depending on the number in which they are used, can change their meaning:

• • people (people) - peoples (peoples);
  • glass (glass) - glasses (glasses);
  • wood (wood) - woods (wood);
  • hair - hairs.

Despite the fact that the rule seems rather complicated, remember the variety of plural endings in Russian (pines, people, trees, bills, reptiles, trouble, negotiations, etc.). For comparison - girls, ladies, classes. We wish you every success!