THE NUMBER SYSTEM IN ENGLISH

The English number system constitutes a two-term contrast:

SINGULAR, which denotes `one´
PLURAL, which denotes `more than one´
We distinguish three main number classes of nouns:

A.- SINGULAR INVARIABLE NOUNS

e.g. sugar, coffee, money...
UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

MOST PROPER NOUNS e.g. Thomas, London, Hudson...

Singular invariable nouns finishing

with –s. Examples of singularia
tantum are:
News
Some sports & games:
e.g. billiards
SINGULARIA TANTUM
Nouns finishing with -ics:
e.g. Physics, Mathematics,
Phonetics, aerobics...
Some diseases:
e.g. measles
Some proper nouns:
e.g. Brussels

ABSTRACT ADJECTIVE HEADS e.g. the real, the unreal...

B.- PLURAL INVARIABLE NOUNS

e.g. trousers, jeans, tights, scissors...
SUMMATION PLURALS

Mountain ranges:
e.g. The Alps, The Pyrenees...
SOME PROPER NOUNS Island groups:
e.g. The Canaries, The
Maldives...
Plural invariable nouns finishing with
–s. Examples of pluralia tantum are:
PLURALIA TANTUM Regards
Thanks
Goods

UNMARKED PLURAL NOUNS e.g. cattle, people, police, staff...

PERSONAL ADJECTIVE HEADS e.g. the rich, the unemployed...

 C.- VARIABLE NOUNS IN ENGLISH
The regular plural is normally formed by
adding – s
e.g. pear- pears
- es is added in nouns ending with:
s (e.g. bus – buses)
ss (e.g. boss – bosses)
z (e.g. quiz – quizzes) (Notice
the z is doubled)
sh (e.g. dish – dishes)
ch (e.g. peach – peaches)
VARIABLE NOUNS WITH x (e.g. box – boxes)
REGULAR PLURAL Vowel + y= ys
e.g. boy - boys
Consonant + y= ies
e.g. raspberry - raspberries
Nouns ending with – o have two
possibilities:
os: after a vowel (e.g. bamboo –
bamboos)
os: in proper names (e.g. Eskimo –
Eskimos)
os: in abbreviations (e.g. photo –
photos)
oes: other cases (e.g. potato –
potatoes)
Nouns ending with –f / -fe have two
possibilities:
ves: (e.g. knife – knives; calf-
calves)
fs: (e.g. roof – roofs)
Mutation plurals:
woman – women
man – men
foot – feet
VARIABLE NOUNS WITH goose – geese
IRREGULAR PLURALS tooth – teeth
mouse – mice
- en plurals:
ox – oxen
child - children
Zero plurals have no change:
fish – fish
deer – deer
moose-moose
reindeer – reindeer
sheep – sheep

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