NOUN: SINGULAR AND PLURAL

On the basis of numbers nouns are of two types-singular and plural.

SINGULAR- When a noun is found in one number then it is called a singular noun.

PLURAL- When a noun is found in more than one number then it is called a plural noun.

RULES FOR FORMING THE PLURALS

condition	change	examples
1.     general rule	add  -s	Boy-Boys, Girl-girls, pens, etc.
2.     nouns ending in -x, –s, -sh, ch	add -es	Box-Boxes, Class-Classes, Coach-coaches, etc.
3.     nouns ending in – o	add –es and sometimes –s	Video-Videos, Photo-Photos, etc.
4.     nouns ending in            consonant sound + y	remove y and add ies	Baby-Babies, City-cities, etc.
5.     nouns ending in              vowel sound + y	add –s	Toy-Toys, Monkey-monkeys, etc.
6.     change in inside vowel	remove ‘oo’ and add ‘ee’/ remove ‘a’ add ‘e’	Tooth-teeth Man-men, etc.
7.     nouns ending in                     –f or –ef	remove ‘–f’ or ‘–fe’ and add ‘–ves’ OR ‘-s’	Wife-wives Knife-knives, etc
8.     in some cases	add ‘ –en’	Child-children Ox-oxen, etc.
9.     In compound words	add –s in principal word	Son-in-law-----sons-in-law
10. some nouns are always singular. Their plural form is not used.		Scenery Furniture Information, etc
11. some nouns are always in plural form. Their singular form is not used.		Goods, outskirts, means of, scissors, etc.
12. some nouns look like singular but are used as a plural		Cattle, people, etc.
13. some nouns look like a plural but are used as a singular		News, Mathematics, physics, etc

 some nouns are always singular; they don't have their plural form

Furniture
Information
Knowledge
Jewelry
Homework
Marketing
Livestock
Education
Courage
Bravery
Luck
Cowardice
Greed
Clarity
Honesty
Evidence
Insurance
Butter
Love
News
Curiosity
Satisfaction
Work
Mud
Weather
Racism
Sexism
Patriotism
Chaos
Scenery
Help
Advice
Water
Fun
Wisdom
Silence
Sugar
Coal
Spelling
Money

Some of the nouns are always plural they don't have their singular form

• Amends (to make ‘amends’ for causing some loss)
• Annals (pages of books of history)
• Archives
• Arms (weapons)
• Arrears
• Ashes (of a dead cremated body)
• Auspices (patronage)
• Bowels
• Brains (intellect)
• Contents
• Customs (duty)
• Earnings
• Entrails
• Fireworks
• Funds (money)
• Goods
• Guts (bowels, courage)
• Letters (in the expression ‘a man of letters’)
• Looks (e.g. She has got attractive looks)
• Manners (in the expression ‘good manners’)
• Odds (in the expression ‘heavy odds’)
• Outskirts
• Pains (e.g. to take pains)
• Premises (building)
• Riches (wealth)
• Stairs (e.g. a flight of stairs)
• Surroundings (environment)
• Thanks
• Troops
• Tropics
• Valuables
• Wages
• Proceeds
• Tidings
• Nuptials
• Alms
• Drawers

Some of the nouns are always single but used as plural

some of the nouns are used as a singular as well as a plural

– The moose is/are migrating.
– The sheep is/are ready to be fed.
– The shrimp is/are very well cooked.

A. Change the number of nouns in the following sentences (also use verb according to noun)

EXERCISE

1.      He is our teacher.

2.      The man has left his seat

3.      The offer is valid for one day.

4.      A mouse is troubling a lot.

5.      There is a knife in that drawer.

6.      This bread is stale.

7.      He wrote a letter.

8.      She caught a butterfly.

9.      A sheep is grazing.

10.   A girl is crying.

11.   The woman is knitting her sweater.

12.   An aeroplane is flying.

13.   He is a proud boy.

14.   A ran a thorn into my foot.

15.   His hair is curly.

16.   Children like chocolates.

17.   The mice are playing.

18.   I told him a story of a fairy and a dwarf who lived on a cliff.

19.   I disapprove the agreement.

20.   A calf is playing with the cow.

21.   There is a dwarf with snow-white.​

22.   Please give me a loaf of bread

23.   A girl is going to her home.

24.   I have a brother in law.