singular and plural nouns c#r, r*fs; &nx, tu*xes

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Countable nouns have different forms for singular and plural.
onecor fourcars oneday tendays oneboby fourbabies onechild sixchildren

HOWTO MAKE PLURALS

* most nouns: + -s book ---*" books home *-* homes cor -*+ cars
* -s, -sh, -ch, -x: + -es bus *-* buses wish - -* wishes church ---l- churches fox ---* foxes

ffi write the plurals.

/ boss / box brush cat chair church class dress garden

apple gas
glass hotel plane ship table time tree watch wish
+-s: ..mP!g.q

+ -E5: . .9.qssps

NOUNS ENDING IN -Y
a -ol,-€y,-oy,-uy:+-s day -** days monkey ** monkeys toy *-r- toys
* -by,-dy,-fy,-g!, etc:-y -*> -ies boby ---> babies lody ---* ladies lorry ---> lsvvisg

ffi write the plurals.

boy / cily / copy country family guy holiday key party way

+ -s: ..9.r.A5.
-Y --i" -,Es: ..?*19?.

COMMON IRREGULAR PLURALS

mouse **> mice child ---> children half --+ halves shelf *-*- shelves
feet penny * * pence
foot ^-x
tooth * -* teeth person *** people
knife
-* knives
leaf *-* leaves
thief --* thieves
wife ---* wives
man ---*- men Iife *"> lives
woman women
-* pototo **> potatoes loaf - -> loaves sheep ^-+ sheep
tomato **> tomqtoes self .*> selves fish ---* fish

Simple present verbs have different forms after singular and plural nouns (see page 16).
This bus runs ot weekends. Most ofthe buses run atweekends.
My brother hos a small flot.
Both my brothers have good jobs.

ffi eut in plural nouns or simple present verbs.

) Theirhomes ..?.Y9............. inScotland.(be) 7 My......... aregivingmetrouble.(rooth)
I Our .. play a lot of football. (child) 8 Those .. cost too much. (razatch)
2 Those .. don't look English. (student) 9 Most .. cry at night. (baby)
3 Some people .. to talk to you. (want) 10 The .. are all wet. (rnotch)
4 Big ........ are always dnty. (city) 1 Who are those
1 ..? @uy)
5 Their are travelling with them. (wife) 12 My parents .. at home. (work)
6 These knives ...................n't cut very well. (do) 3 How many .........
1 live here? (person)

196 NOUNS
singular/plural f*,'r;*;,,i*r:;ily; i{i{-}r?s, s*rss*r:

Words for groups of people can have singularor plural verbs in British English.
We often use plural verbs when we talk about personal actions (for example play, wont, think).
The teom is/ore playing badly. My fomily want/wonts me to study.
The government think/thinks taxes qre too low.
Note the difference between England (the country) and England (the football team).
England has got a new prime minister. England have got a new manager.
Police is always plural.
The police ore looking for a tall 3}-yeqr-old woman. (Nor Thepotiee+Jeeking ...)

Group nouns (/) or not (X)?

ur^y .!.. audience ..{.. beach ..{.. class ...... club ...... Communist Party ...... company ......
crowd...... idea...... lunch...... question...... room...... school ...... train......

Put the beginnings and ends together, and put in pluralverbs from the box.

are have haven't need / play say want

0 The club A her to go to university. . .....

1 The company
2 Her family
3 The orchestra
4 This team
5 England
6 The police
B only classical music. ......
C scored a goal this year. ......
D that they're losing money. ......
E ..*99.4...... a bigger room for their meetings. ..?.
F asking for information about the accident. ......
G just lost against GermanY. ......

Some nouns are always plural. Some common examples:

trousers jeans tights shorts pants pyiamas glasses scissors

Those trousers are too short. (not That+reaser ...) Where are my glasses?

Complete the sentences. Use the words in the box.

black trousers blue jeans / dark glasses scissors shorts silk pyjamas tights

Every time I see her she's wearing ..9.t*gigl*:t..

1 I can't see very well with these
2 It's hot today. l'm going to put on ........
3 These ......... don't cut very well.
4 You d better put on your best ........... for the interview.
5 5he always sleeps in
6 l've got a hole in my ............ ........ again.

We can also use the expression a poir of with these nouns.

There is a pair of scissors on your chair. (NoT .. . a-seissers .. .)

three poirs of jeans (NoT f#reeFens) two poirs of pyjomos (Not twopyianas)

ln some answers, both contracted forms (for example /m, don't) and full i\ii."lriifrr '197
forms (for exam ple I am, do not\ are possible. Normally both are correct.
lg countable and uncountable nouns
rii
Countable nouns are words like car, book, chair.They can be singular or plural.
Uncountable nouns are words like petrol, rice, water.fhey are only singular.

Circldthe uncountable nouns.

cup dog flower guitar love meat music ear oil photo nver
salt snow sugar women wool

The following words are uncountable in English (but countable in some other languages). They are
normally only singular. We can use some with them, but not o/an. (Not a+avet, a+anitare)
advice baggage bread furniture hair information knowledge luck
Iuggage news spqghetti (and macaroni elc) travel work
I need some odvice. Thisfurniture is too expensive.
His hoir is very long. Travel teoches you a lot.

Put d with the countable nouns and sorne with the uncountable nouns.
bread cheque baggage ............ fridge fu rniture
handbag holiday knowledge ............|uck
newspaper problem station ............ travel work

Put in suitable uncountable nouns from the box.

advice baggage furniture hair information / news spaghetti travel work

) Can you give me some ..y*fpfyh.L.q*................. about the school?

1 'Haveyougotmuch......... ...........?"No,justonesmall bagJ
2 I live 50 kilometres from my work, so I spend a lot of money on .............
3 This ... isn't very good. You've cooked it for too long.
4 l've stopped reading the papers. The ............... ..... is always bad.
5 I don't know what to do. Can you give me some .................... ?
6 All this ... is from my mother's house.
7 l've got too much ... and not enough free time.
8 I like your .......... when it's long like this.

To give a countable meaning, we usually use a longer expression or a different word.

Can you give me a piece of advice? Did you have a good journey?

Put in words or expressions from the box.

a piece of advice a piece of baggage / a piece of information

a piece of news a job a journey

a suitcase ..q#p.qg.pf .9.q99199........

1 selling cars
2 driving from London to Edinburgh
3 'Don't marry him, dear.'
4 'The next train leaves at 'l 0,151
5 'There has been a big train crashJ

For articles with countable and uncountable nouns, see page 1 53.

198 i'ri,il ti'i1:

Some words can be countable or uncountable, with different meanings.
A light was on in the house. (='a lamp') Light travels at 300,000 km a second.
l've seen thqt film three times. Time goes fast when you're having fun.
I had o strange experience yesterday. We need a secretary with experience.

Three coffees, please. (='cups of coffee') ldrinktoo much coffee.

Look at the pictures and put in descriptions from the box.

a chicken chicken a chocolate chocolate a glass glass

an iron iron a paper paper

',t
t;$*,lr
.,J
IT
*

*
*
q
5 ...................

#q*P
1 ................... 2................... 3 ...................

s
l1

6 ................... 7 ................... 8 ................... 10

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY: coNtAiNETS

Make sure you know the words in the box. Use a dictionary if necessary. Then use them
to complete the descriptions under the pictures.

bag bottle box can cup glass jar jug mug packet

3 i
i
t

i:.
:t.

a .. .. ......... .. a . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . a ........... ., . . 4 a ...............

of water of water of chocolates of tea

6 a ...............
wa ............... B a ...............
. *rr.j$

a ............... 10 a ...............
of honey of soup of onions of orange juice of biscuits

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