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The English Noun
The English Noun
NOUN CLASSES
COUNTABLE/COUNT NOUNS:
- admit a plural form
- may be determined by the indefinite article
- may be used with quantifiers like many, few, several
UNCOUNTABLE/MASS NOUNS:
- lack the number contrast
- cannot be determined by the indefinite article
- can be used with the zero article
- may be used with quantifiers like much, little
e.g. many/several/few boys a boy
* much boy, *Boy is present
( change of meaning)
measure partitives: Kilo, mile, metre, a ton of coal, a pint of beer, a litre
of wine
typical partitives (used with specific lexical items):
a bar of chocolate, an amount of money, a grain of rice, a loaf of bread, a
word of advice
general partitives (are not restricted to specific lexical items):
NOUN NUMBER
According to the category of number we distinguish between:
1. Variable nouns – have two forms, one for singular, one for plural
2. Invariable nouns – have only one form
Singular invariable (furniture, advice, money)
Plural invariable (scissors, trousers, tweezers)
VARIABLE NOUNS
3) Zero plural nouns- have the same form in the singular and in the plural
Here we include:
Animal names: sheep, deer, trout, salmon
Nationality names –ese Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese,
Portuguese, Lebanese, Maltese, Swiss
Nouns ending invariably in - s, - es : means, headquarters,
barracks, species, series
4) Foreign plurals
a) Latin plurals
- us -i
stimulus stimuli
bacillus bacilli
-us -ora
corpus corpora
focus foci / focuses
syllabus syllabi/syllabuses
- um -a
simulacrum simulacra
bacterium bacteria
aquarium aquaria
medium media/mediums
memorandum memoranda, memorandums
symposioum symposia, symposiums
- ex -ices
index indices
appendix appendices/appendixes
b) Greek plural
- is -es
axis axes
analysis analyses
emphasis emphases
thesis theses
- on -a
criterion criteria
phenomenon phenomena
c) Italian plural
bambino bambinos/bambini
bandit bandits/banditti
virtuoso virtuosos/virtuosi
INVARIABLE NOUNS
- have only one form
SINGULAR INVARIABLE NOUNS
PLURAL INVARIABLE NOUNS