Noun: Number

Question 1

add -s/-es to singular

Answer 1

General Rule

Question 2

days, boys
countries, enemies
There are 3 Marys in our family

Answer 2

vowel + -y = -s
consonant + -y = ie +s
Quality words + propoer names - y = -s

(-y Rule)

Question 3

bamboos, scenarios, studios
albinos, cantos, sopranos
kilos, photos
Filipinos, Romeos
echoes, negroes

archipelagos - archipelagoes / dominos - dominoes / flamino - flamingoes

Answer 3

vowel + -o = -s
-o (foreign words)
abbreviations
proper names
consonant + -o = -es

both -s / -es

(-o Rule)

Question 4

beliefs, clifs,, roofs, proofs

elves, knives, leaves, wives, wolves

beefs - beeves (carcasses of oxen)

Answer 4

-f / -fe = -s

a few get ”-ves”

either -s or -ves

(-f/-fe Rule)

Question 5

cloths, months, births, moths, paths, hearts

Answer 5

ending in -th (sg) = -s (pl)

(-th Rule)

Question 6

house

Answer 6

houses

Question 7

brother -brethen
child-children
mouse - mice
ox - oxen

Answer 7

Irregular Plural

Question 8

hunting&fishing: carp, cod, game, salmon
nationality: Chinese, Japanese, Portugese
Measurement: 10 million books, several head of cattle

”few, many, several, some” precede ”hundred, thousang, million” = ……

Answer 8

Zero Plural

Zero Plural or Regular Form
e.g: Some hundreds of people (several hundreds)
Some hundred people (=around a hundred)

Question 9

a two-hour exam, a ten-month calendar

Answer 9

Compound adj. of measure, Q, etc. get zero plural (preceding another noun)

Question 10

a) armchairs, bedrooms, housewives
b) brothers-in-law, justices-of-peace
c) poets-laureate / poet-laureates
d) men-servants, women-teachers, Lords Justices, Kinghts Templers

Answer 10

PLURAL OF COMPOUND NOUNS
a) one-word noun
b) noun + PPhr./ adv./ adj
c) noun + adj.
d) 1st element is ”man, woman, yeoman, lord, gentleman, knight”

Question 11

advice, bread, information, butter, cotton, flour, happiness, police, milk

Answer 11

Singularia Tantum

Question 12

a) braces, pants, pyjamas
b) genitals, vitals, entrails
c) measles, mumps, rheumatics
d) binoculars, glasses, scissors
e) billiards, dominoes
f) the Alps, the Netherlands
g) savings, winnings
h) antics, chemicals, Olympics

Answer 12

Pluralia Tantum
a) article of dress
b) parts of body
c) diseases
d) tools
e) games
f) geographical names
g) -ing + s
h) adjs turned into nouns bu adding -(e)s

Question 13

1. a) genius- geniuses -genii / cactus- cactuses - cactii
   b) larva -larvae
   c) curriculum - curriculums - curricula
   d) index - indexes - indices
2. a) analysis - analyses
   b) criterion - criteria / phenomenon - phenomena
3. a) plateau - plateaus - plateaux / bureau - bureaus - bureaux
   b) chanois (..wa:) (..wa:z)
4. a) tempo - tempos - tempi

Answer 13

Foreign Nouns
1. Latin: a) -us = -i / -ora/ -era
b) -a = - ae
c) -um = -a
d) -ex / -ix = -ices

2. a) -is = -es
   b) -on = -a
3. a) - eau(x) = -ieu(x)
   b) zero plural (writing) + regular plural (speech)
4. a) - o = -i

Question 14

formulas - formulae
geniuses - genii
cloth - clothes

Answer 14

2 plural forms with different meanings

Question 15

air - airs
custom - customs
damage -damages
minute - minutes

Answer 15

Sg has one meaning and Pl has another meaning

Question 16

1950s, M.P.s, pros and cons, ups and dows
cc., pp.

Answer 16

Letters and abbreviations = -s (pl)