In English, there are two numbers of nouns, as in Russian: singular and plural (in some languages it can be different). At first glance, it may seem that the plural of nouns in English is formed according to some difficult, incomprehensible rules. In fact, everything is simple, since in most cases the plural is formed according to the basic rule, and the rest of the cases are quickly memorized with practice.
Rules for the formation of plural nouns in English
1. Basic rule
In most cases, the plural of nouns in English (plural) is formed using the ending -s... Pay attention to how this ending is pronounced:
- After vowels and voiced consonants - like [z],
- After voiceless consonants - like [s].
However, if you get confused about the pronunciation of the -s at the end of a word, you will surely be understood.
2. Nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, -ss
What if the word ends with – s? In this case (for greater euphony and ease of pronunciation), you need to add -es... The same goes for words on -ss,-sh, – ch, – x, -z.
The ending -es helps to pronounce combinations of sounds that would be difficult to pronounce without him. Let me remind you -es added at the end of words to -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z... Imagine what it would be without -es:
watchs, matchs, boxs, buss (!), classs (!!!)
Agree, it's much easier to pronounce the words:
watches, matches, boxes, buses, classes.
3. Nouns ending with a consonant + y
consonant + ending -y, then -y changes to -ies .
If a noun ends in vowel + ending -y then to -y added -s... In other words, the plural is formed according to the basic rule.
4. Nouns ending in -o
If a noun ends in -o, you need to add -es.
Exceptions:
- photo - photos (photo),
- memo - memos (memo).
- piano - pianos (piano),
5. Nouns ending in -f, -fe
In nouns ending with -f or - fe, need to replace -f or - fe on -ves.
6. Table: plural nouns in English
This image provides a quick summary of the rules for forming the plural of a noun.
Special cases of plural formation in English
In English, there are exceptions to the plural rules. Most of them relate to rather rare words, it is most important to remember the cases from the first paragraph (man - men, woman - women, etc.), since they are the most frequent.
1. Main exceptions: the plural is not formed according to general rules
A number of nouns form the plural in a non-standard way:
Note: the word women reads [ˈwɪmɪn].
2. The plural and singular forms are the same
Some nouns have the same plural and singular forms. These include:
3. Nouns used only in the singular
As in Russian, some nouns in English are used only in the singular or plural. These include:
1. Abstract, uncountable nouns
- Knowledge - knowledge,
- Love is love
- Friendship - friendship,
- Information - information,
2. Names of sciences, academic disciplines in -ics
Although they end in -s, these words are used in the singular.
- Ecomonics - economics,
- Physics - physics,
- Aerobics - aerobics,
- Classics - classic literature.
3. And others
- Money - money
- Hair - hair.
3. Nouns used only in the plural
As in Russian, many names of paired objects are not singular.
- Pants - trousers,
- Scissors - scissors,
- Glasses - glasses (for the eyes, not glasses in the game),
Some words that are used in English only in the plural, in Russian are used in the plural and singular:
- Goods - goods, goods.
- Clothes - clothes.
Note: clothes is or clothes are?
Difficulty with the word often clothes - clothes... Should I use it singular or plural? How to write correctly: clothes is or clothes are?
We are accustomed to the fact that “clothes” is a singular number in Russian, so we strive to use English clothes in the Russian manner, as if it were a singular noun, but this is a mistake. In English, this word is plural and is used accordingly:
- Not right: Your clothes is so dirty. - Your clothes are so dirty.
- Right: Your clothes are so dirty. - Your clothes are so dirty.
4. Plural of compound nouns
Compound nouns consist of more than one word, they can be spelled:
- Separated or with a hyphen: mother-in-law(mother-in-law), assistant headmaster(assistant director of the school).
- Continuously: postman(postman), schoolboy(schoolboy).
In separate compound nouns, as a rule, a word with a basic meaning takes the plural form:
Hello dear readers! Today you will learn how the plural forms in English. At first glance, the topic is not complicated, but there are many nuances to which you should pay attention.
In English, only countable nouns, that is, countable nouns, form the plural. Such nouns can be singular or plural. I think it is 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 objects. So, now we will look at the basic rules for the formation of the plural in English. Plural of nouns in English
1. The plural of most nouns is formed by adding an ending −s to a noun in the singular.
−s reads:
[z] after vowels and voiced consonants
[s] after voiceless consonants
- a tie tie- tie s neckties
- a teacher teacher- teacher s[ˈTiːʧəz] teachers
- a room room- room s rooms
- a map map- map s cards
2. Nouns ending in consonants s, ss, sh, ch, tch, x, plural accepts the ending -es which reads [ɪz].
- a match match- match es[ˈMæʧɪz] matches
3. Nouns ending in a vowel -O, the plural also accepts the ending -es.
- hero hero- hero es[ˈHɪərəʊz] heroes
- tomato a tomato−tomato es tomatoes
If before the final -O there is a vowel, then the plural noun takes an ending -s.
- radio radio- radio s[ˈReɪdɪəʊz] radios
- kangaroo kangaroo- kangaroo s kangaroo
If a noun that ends in -O in the singular is a contraction, then in the plural it also takes the ending -s.
- photo (graph) the photo)- photo s[ˈFəʊtəʊz] Photo
- kilo (gramme) kilo (gram)- kilo s[ˈKiːləʊz] kilograms
In some cases, variations 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 there is a consonant, 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 an ending -s.
- a day day- day s days
5. The plural of some nouns that end in f, fe, formed by replacing f consonant v and adding an 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 pier
Plural exclusion 6. Some nouns still have archaic plural forms. The plurality of such nouns is formed by changing root vowel or by adding an ending - en.
- a man Man- m e n men
- a woman female- wom e n [ˈwɪmɪn] women
- brother ["brʌðər] brother- br e thr ru["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 ru[ˈʧɪldrən] children
- ox [ɒks] bull- ox ru[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] headquarters - central authorities
- alms [ɑːmz] alms - alms
- barracks [ˈbærəks] barracks - barracks
- corps military Dipl. case - cases
- grouse partridge
- crossroads [ˈkrɒsˌrəʊdz] intersection of roads - intersections
- 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] analyzes
- axis ["æksɪs] axis- axes ["æksɪz] axes
- basis ["beɪsɪs] the foundation- 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] location
- memorandum [, memə "rændəm] memory entry- memoranda [, memə "rændə], memorandums [, memə" rændəmz] scraps
- nucleus cell- nuclei cell
- phenomenon phenomenon- phenomena phenomena
- radius ["reɪdɪəs], [ˈreɪdjəs] radius- radii ["reɪdɪaɪ] radii
- species [ˈspiːʃiːz] kind, 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, pyjamas - pajamas
- pliers [ˈplaɪəz] - pliers
- scissors [ˈsɪzəz] - scissors
- shorts ʃɔːts - shorts, underpants
- stockings [ˈstɒkɪŋz] - socks
- tights - tights
- tongs - forceps
- trousers [ˈtraʊzəz] - pants
- proceeds [ˈprəʊsiːdz] - income
- surroundings - neighborhood
- riches [ˈrɪʧɪz] - wealth
- thanks [θæŋks] - gratitude
- wages [ˈweɪʤɪz] - earnings
Plural formation of compound nouns
1. Compound nouns that are spelled together form a plural by adding an ending to the second element.
- schoolgirl schoolgirl- schoolgirl s schoolgirls
- policeman police officer- policem e n policemen
2. If a compound noun that is spelled with a hyphen includes words man or woman, as one of component parts words, then all parts of the word take the plural.
- woman-writer writer- wom e n-writer s writers
- gentleman-farmer farmer gentleman- gentlem e n-farmer sfarmer gentlemen
3. Compound nouns, which are written with a hyphen, form the plural by changing the key element in meaning.
- family-name surname- family-name s surnames
- commander-in-chief commander-in-chief- commander s-in-chief commander-in-chief
4. If there is no noun element in a compound noun, then the plural is formed by adding an ending −s to the last item.
- forget-me-not forget-me-not- forget-me-not s forget-me-nots
- merry-go-round carousel- merry-go-round s carousel
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.
Calculus :a success successful result- success essuccessful results
- My new job is a success. - My new job is just a lucky break.
- We learn from our success es and failures. - We learn from our successes and mistakes.
2. In English, some nouns can agree with the verb in the singular and 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... (The family is like many individual members of the team)
3. In English, the same noun can be countable in one sense, and uncountable in another.
Uncountable: iron - iron
Calculus: an iron iron- iron s irons
4. In English, some nouns with endings -s have the meaning of the singular and, accordingly, agree with the verbs in the singular.
Countable nouns in English are countable in order to be put in singular or plural. There are certain rules for this. Most often, the ending -s or -es is used for this - even a student knows this. But there are other rules that we will consider today. The plural of nouns in English (plural) is used when there are two or more objects.
Formation of plural nouns in English
The formation of plural nouns in English is as follows: -s, which we put at the end of nouns for education, reads like z, if it comes after vowels
The same story - if there is a voiced consonant at the end
pen - pens.
If there is a voiceless consonant at the end of a word, s is read as follows:
But if sibilants or sibilants (s, ss, x, sh, ch) are placed before the ending, then some changes in the ending take place. It now looks like -es:
bass - basses
match - matches
leash - leashes
box - boxes
If there is a letter -у at the end of a word, change it to і, and add the already familiar, traditional -es
lobby - lobbies
sky - skies
The exception is proper nouns and compound nouns.
At the same time, in cases where the letter -y is preceded by a vowel, we do not touch -y, we just add the ending s
bay - bays
day - days
way - ways
When a word ends in -o, the ending -es is added to form the plural:
potato - potatoes
tomato - tomatoes
hero - heroes
The hardest part is when –f or –fe are at the end. Then you have to learn one rule: replace-f or -fe with -v- and add the ending -es
If the noun ends in the letters -f or -fe, then in the plural they change to -v- and the ending -es is added:
thief –thieves
wolf - wolves
half - halves
wife - wives
Exception in the formation of plurals in English
As from any rule, from the formation of the plural English nouns there are exceptions. An exception to the formation of plurals in English occurs in the following cases:
Nouns have their own plural form
man - men
woman - women
tooth –teeth
foot - feet
goose - geese
mouse - mice
louse - lice
child - children
ox - oxen
brother - brethren (brothers, brothers)
The singular looks the same as the plural:
sheep - sheep
swine - swine
deer - deer
grouse - grouse
series - series
species - species
corps - corps
Borrowed words that have retained the features of plural formation according to the rules of the "native" language for themselves.
basis - bases
crisis - crises
phenomenon - phenomena
stimulus - stimuli
formula - formulae
datum - data
index - indices
bureau - bureaux
English, like Russian, is built on the interaction of various parts of speech, each of which has its own personality. One of the clearest signs a noun is a category of number. Many of you know that the plural is formed by attaching the ending -s. But it's not that simple. In this case, there are more exceptions than the rule itself.
Studying the plural in English (the plural number), you will have to strain and remember more than a dozen words and cases of their use. The ending - s for nouns does not always indicate plurality. How do you know how to put it right, how to say it correctly? We will divide all nouns into two large groups: mutable (variable) and immutable (invariable).
Variable nouns
- Regular nouns. Nouns that we can attribute to "correct" are plural in English using endings - s: question-questions, group-groups. But, when adding - s, there are writing features.
1.if the word ends with - s, ss, sh, ch, x, z,
then add es: box-boxes, bush - bushes, branch-branches.
2.if the word ends with acc + y,
then instead of "Y"
written "I + es"
: city-cities, story-stories, lady-ladies... But if the structure goes vowel + y,
then only - s
without any changes: boy-boys, toy-toys, day-days.
3.if the word in the singular ends with acc + o,
then add es
: tomatoes, potatoes, heroes.
But in words: vowel + o - s:
zoos, radios.
Exceptions:
1. photos- Photo, kilos- kilograms, autos- cars, memos- memorandum, directive, note, logos- logos, torsos- torsos, sopranos- soprano, solos- solo, concertos- concerts, commandos- special forces, Eskimos- Eskimos, piano- pianos (piano), video- videos (video).
2.Two options: buffalo- buffaloes (buffalo), buffalos; volcano- volcanoes, volcanos (volcano); mosquito- mosquitoes, mosquitos (mosquito); zero- zeroes, zeros (zero); tornado- tornadoes, tornados (tornado), flamingo- flamigos, flamigoes (flamingos).
4.Another ending puts spokes in the wheels: f (or fe) is changed to -v (or ve) and -s is appended. English plural words with this ending look like this: wife-wives, wolf-wolves, knife-knives, life-lives, half-halves, thief-thieves.
Exceptions:
1.belief- beliefs (belief), chef- chefs (cook), chief- chiefs (head, leader), proof - proofs (proof), roof- roofs (roof), safe- safes (safe), cliff- cliffs (cliff, cliff), cuff- cuffs (cuff).
2. have two correct options: scarfs- scarves (scarf), dwarfs- dwarves (dwarf, gnome), handkerchiefs- handkerchieves (handkerchief), hoofs- hooves (hoof), wharfs- wharves (pier), turfs- turves (turf).
- Irregular nouns. We can attribute to irregular nouns those whose plural formation defies any rule. This means that everything depends on your will, memory and desire.
1. The plural of nouns is formed by vowel changes :
man- men - men; woman- women - women; goose- geese - geese; tooth- teeth - teeth; foot- feet - feet, legs; mouse- mice - mice; louse- lice - lice
2. The plural is formed with the ending -en :
child- child r en - children; ox-oxen - bulls; brother- bretheren - brothers, brotherhoods
3. Words having the same shape both singular and plural.
a sheep- sheep (sheep); a swine- swine (pig); a deer- deer (deer); a fish- fish (fish - but: different types of fish: fishes); a craft- craft (ship); a salmon- salmon (salmon); a trout- trout (trout).
4. WITHfishing foreigners coming from Latin or Greek, but have already become full-fledged residents of the "English world". If the word ends with:
- us - i: stimulus - stimuli - stimulus
- a - ae: vertebra - vertebrae - vertebra, spine
- um - a: datum - data - data
- is - es: basis - bases - base, foundation, base
- on - a: phenomenon - phenomena
- ex, ix - ices: appendix - appendices - appendix
- eau - eaux: bureau - bureaux - bureau
Invariable nouns
1. There is a group of nouns that are used only in singular , which means that they require after themselves the verb as well.
- uncountable: sand, gold, water
- abstract: love, music, homework, advice
- some diseases: diabetes, mumps, measles, rabies, rickets, shingles
- some games despite the -s ending: bowls, billiards, drawghts, darts, skittes
- word news
- item names ending with ics: aerobics, classics, genetics, linguistics, mathematics, phonetics, statistics
- some proper names: Athes, Brussels, Wales, the United States, The United Nations
- collective nouns: money, information, jewelery, fruit(but fruits in plural: several types of fruits)
- into a separate group we will single out nouns that sound in Russian in the plural, and in English - in the singular:
applause, cream, debate, fightings, gossip, hair, ink, knowledge, gate, watch ), vacation
2. A similar situation exists with other nouns that can be used only in the plural (Plurals).
- Pair nouns: braces, shorts, glasses, trousers, binoculars, jeans, leggins, tights, scissors, scales. But, if we still need to mark the singular number, then in front of these nouns we put the phrase: a pair of (jeans), and then we use the verb in the singular.
- Substantiated adjectives for people: the rich, the poor, the old, the young, the English.
- Some proper names: the Netherlands, the Midlands, the Hebriedes, the East Indies
- A couple of nouns that are singular in Russian and plural in English:
wages (wages), sweepings (garbage), the contents of the book(content), arms, greens, looks, stairs, manners, minutes, outskirts, riches, thanks, The Middle Ages (Middle Ages).
Plural of compound nouns
- The plural number of such nouns is usually formed with -s, which is appended to the last element: housewife - housewives, shoe-shop - shoe-shops.
- If the composition contains the words "woman, man", then two words take the plural form: woman-doctor - women-doctors, man - driver - men - drivers(But, if the word is spelled together, then only men, woman: policemen change)
- If there are prepositions in the composition, then the first element takes the plural form: mothers-in-law, men-of-war, editors-in-chief. If the word consists of: noun + preposition, then we add only to the noun: passers-by, lookers-on. But if there is a union, then to the second word: gin-and-tonics.
- But if there is no noun in the word, and it has such a meaning, then the ending -s, we add to the whole phrase: forget-me-nots (forget-me-nots), merry-go-rounds (carousels), stand-bys (followers), grown-ups (adults), pick-ups (casual acquaintances), drop-outs (deserters).
As you can see, the "English Plural" rule is an exception. But don't clutch your head or think that you can't remember it. Millions already know this "by heart", which means you can. A little patience, diligence and practice is all you need to absorb all the information.
Here you can find plurals in English / Pluralization of nouns.
NUMBER
1. In English, nouns have two numbers: singular and plural. Countable nouns are used in the singular and plural; the uncountable are not plural.
The plural of nouns is formed by adding the ending -s to the singular form, which is "pronounced as [s] after voiceless consonants and as [z] after voiced consonants and vowels:
ship ship -ship s[s]
gun gun -gun s[z]
boy boy - boy s[z]
2. The plural of nouns ending in the singular in a hissing or hissing sound, expressed by the letters s, ss, x, sh, ch, is formed by adding the ending -es to the singular form, which is pronounced as:
class - class - class es["kla: siz]
box - box - box es["boksiz]
3. The plural of nouns ending in the singular in -o is formed by adding the ending -es, which reads as [z]:
torpedo - torpedo - torpedo es
4. The plural of nouns ending in the singular in -у with a preceding consonant is formed by adding the ending -es, while changing у to i:
army - army - arm ies
navy - navy - nav ies
If there is a vowel in front of y, then the plural is formed according to the general rule:
day - day - day s
5. The plural of nouns ending in -f, -fe is formed by adding the ending -s or -es, while f changes to v:
wolf wolf - wolv es
knife knife - kniv es
But: chief chief - chief s
6. Nouns borrowed from Greek and Latin languages, retain the plural form they had in these languages:
basis ["beisis] - basis - bases [" beisi: z]
crisis ["kraisis] - crisis - crises [" kraisi: z]
radius - radius - radii ["reidiai]
nucleus ["nju: klies] - the nucleus of the atom - nuclei [" nju: kliai]
curriculum [кə "rikjulem] - course of study, curriculum - curricula [кə" rikjule]
7. In English, there are special cases of the formation of the plural of nouns. These include:
man male -men
woman ["wumen] woman -women [" wimin]
child child -children
foot leg - feet
tooth tooth -teeth
ox bull - oxen ["oksen]
goose goose -geese
mouse mouse -mice
8. For compound nouns that are written together, the plural form is formed according to the general rule, ie. using a plural ending that takes a second noun:
schoolboy - schoolboy s
9. For compound nouns that are written with a hyphen, the plural form usually takes the main semantic word:
commander-in-chief commander-in-chief - commander s-in-chief
10. In compound nouns, the first component of which is the words man, woman, both bases take the plural form:
man-journalist - journalist - men-journalists
woman-typist - typist - women-typists
11. The ending -s does not always indicate the plural of nouns. Some singular nouns end in -s:
physics physics
mathematics mathematics
economics economics
Mathematics is his favorite subject. His favorite subject is mathematics.
The nouns athletics, athletics, gymnastics, gymnastics have only plural forms:
Athletics is very popular in our country. Athletics is very popular in our country.
The category of nouns that have the ending -s in both the singular and the plural include such nouns as works, factory, headquarters, etc.
12. The number of nouns in English and Russian often does not coincide.
English |
Russian language |
| watch-watches | watch |
| clock-clocks | watch |
| gate-gates | Gates |
Used in both singular and plural: |
|
| knowledge | knowledge-knowledge |
| progress | success is success |
| advice | advice-tips |
Used only in the plural: |
Used only in the singular: |
| contents | content |
| wages | wage |
| Used only in the singular: | Used only in the plural: |
| ink | ink |
| money | money |
13. Paired subjects in both English and Russian are used only in the plural:
scissors - scissors
spectacles - glasses
trousers - trousers
14. The noun people in the sense of people is used in the plural; when the noun people means a people, a nation, it is used both in the singular and in the plural, for example: people people - peoples peoples.