NOUNS

DIVISION OF NOUNS
according to:
1. NUMBER:

- countable (take plural forms)

- uncountable (mass nouns, do not take plural forms)

- collective (denote a whole group of things, can be plural or singular)

 DIVISION OF NOUNS
according to:
2. FEATURES:
- animate (alive – people, animals)
- inanimate (things)
- proper nouns (Christian names: Mary, John; geographical names:
Poland, France)
- common nouns:
- animate (cat, dog)
- inanimate (box, table)

- abstract – exist only in our minds (ideas, opinions)

- concrete – things or people we can touch or see
 NUMBER
1. SINGULAR – easy
2. PLURAL – a bit more complicated
• regular plural – we add an -s
• irregular plural:
- -es for nouns ending in: -ss, -ch, -sh, -x, -o
photo - photos
kilo – kilos they do not take –es beacuse they’re shorts
kilogram, photography
 NUMBER - plural
- -ies for nouns ending in –y
baby – babies
but
day – days

vowel + y = no change
consonant + y = change
 NUMBER - plural
- nouns ending in –f/fe – we change the ending into –ves
12 nouns which form the plural with –ves only:

1. Calf/calves 7. self
2. Half/halves 8. shelf
3. Knife/knives 9. sheaf
4. leaf 10. thief
5. life 11. wife
6. loaf 12. wolf
 NUMBER - plural
• There are a few nouns which form the plural with either –s or -ves
 hoof – hooves/hoofs

 scarf – scarfves/scarfs

 wharf – warves/wharfs

 dwarf – dwarves/dwarfs

• Other ending in –f/-fe take -s

 Cliff- cliffs

 handkerchief – handkerchiefs

 safe -safes
 NUMBER - plural
• There’s another way of forming the plural called mutation (in other words –
changing vowels)
foot feet
goose geese
mouse mice
tooth teeth
man men
woman women
louse lice

• -en:
- child – children
- ox- oxen
- brother – brethren (members of a religious society)
 NUMBER - plural
• Nouns from Latin or Greek
LATIN
-ius -ii
radius radii
-um -a
erratum errata
-a -ae
antenna antennae
GREEK
-sis -ses
thesis, oasis theses, oases
-on -a
criterion, phenomenon criteria, phenomena
 NUMBER - plural
• Nouns which do not change form – they’re the same in the singular
and in plural
 some names of animals and fish:
- sheep
- carp
- pike
- cod
- salmon
- trout
- deer
 nations whose names end in
-ese – the Chinese
-iss – the Swiss
-ish – the Polish
but: the Americans, the Germans
 NUMBER - plural
 craft (boat) – two craft

 aircraft – two aircraft

 offspring – many offspring

 NUMBER - plural
• nouns which never take the plural, although they end in -s
 news
 names of diseases:
- mumps
- rickets
- shingles
 games:
- dominoes
- darts
- billiards

we use is with them not are

 NUMBER - plural
• nouns which always take the plural:
- earnings
- greens
- outskirts
- riches (wealth)
- savings
- spirits (alcohol)

• nouns which in their primary sense belong to the uncountable group – we

may change them into countable nouns but the meaning also changes
⁻ iron (substance) – an iron (a device)
⁻ paper (substance) – a paper (a newspaper)
 COMPOUND NOUNS
• consist of at least two words
• the final element of the word is pluralised:
- bookcase – bookcases
- girlfriend – girlfriends
- travel agent – travel agents

• noun+preposition – the 1st element is pluralised:

- runner-up – runners-up
- hanger-on – hangers-on

• -ful:
- a spoonful of sugar – spoonfuls/spoonsful
- a handful – handfuls/handsful

• noun + preposition + noun – 1st element pluralised:

- mothers-in-law
- ladies-in-waiting

• two nouns – both parts pluralised:

- women doctors
- menservants
- if one of those parts is uncountable – the compound doesn’t take plural: homework, sunshine
 UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
• a piece of:
- information
- advice
- furniture
• money – uncountable
• sugar – three lumps of sugar
• grass – three blades of grass
• hair – 3 hairs/2 strands of hair:
- I found not one, but three hairs on your sofa.
- Shawn has black hair.
• chocolate – 3 bars of chocolate
• beer – bottles, pints of beer
NOTE: uncountable nouns take a singular verb
 SUMMATION PLURALS
• things consisting of two parts:
- glasses
- pyjamas
- scissors
- trousers
- pliers
- scales

NOTE: they take a plural verb, but you can make them singular:
a pair of …
 COLLECTIVE NOUNS

• family, team, clergy

• they can take a plural (if we mean individual members) or a singular

verb (if we mean a whole group):
- My family consists of 5 people. – here family means one group

- I have to fix something to eat quickly because my family are hungry. – each member

- Manchester United is the best football team. – as a whole

- Manchester United were playing really well last night. – all the members
 SOMEBODY/EVERYBODY/NOBODY
IS … THEY
• the first time it appears as the subject of a sentence, its singular, later
it becomes plural:
• Everybody takes their books and off they go.
• If somebody calls tell them I’m out.
• Nobody has come, have they?