English Grammar CHAPTER 7: THE NOUN: NUMBER

Chapter 7: The Noun: Number

Welcome to Chapter 7! In English grammar, we often need to talk about whether there is just one of something, or more than one. This concept is called Number. Let's look at the following pairs of words:

• Tree → Trees
• Box → Boxes
• Man → Men

Notice how the spelling changes when we talk about more than one? In this chapter, we will master all the rules for changing words from singular to plural.

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Topic 1: Introduction to Singular and Plural Numbers

1. Explanation

In English, there are exactly two numbers:

• Singular Number: A noun that denotes just ONE person, place, animal, or thing.
• Plural Number: A noun that denotes MORE THAN ONE person, place, animal, or thing.

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

Rule: The most common and general way to form the plural of a noun is simply by adding -s to the end of the singular noun.

3. Solved Examples

• Boy → Boys
• Pen → Pens
• Girl → Girls
• Desk → Desks
• Book → Books
• Cow → Cows
• Bird → Birds

4. Practice Exercises

Change the following nouns from singular to plural by adding '-s':

1. Table
2. Chair
3. Tree

5. Solutions and Explanations

1. Tables (Just add -s)

2. Chairs (Just add -s)

3. Trees (Just add -s)

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Adding an apostrophe before the 's' (e.g., writing "book's" instead of "books" for plural).

Tip: Never use an apostrophe to make a regular noun plural. Apostrophes are for showing ownership, not quantity!

7. Quick Summary

Singular = One. Plural = More than one. The standard rule is to add '-s'.

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Topic 2: Spelling Rules for Special Endings (-s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o, -y, -f)

1. Explanation

Not all words can just take an '-s' at the end. Depending on the last letter(s) of the singular noun, the spelling rules change. This helps make the words easier to pronounce.

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

Rule A: Nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch (soft), or -x
Form the plural by adding -es.

Rule B: Nouns ending in -o
Most form the plural by adding -es.
Exceptions: Some words (especially newer words or musical terms) merely add -s.

Rule C: Nouns ending in -y
If the '-y' is preceded by a consonant, change the '-y' into -i and add -es.

Rule D: Nouns ending in -f or -fe
Most change the '-f' or '-fe' into -v and add -es.
Exceptions: Some nouns take either '-s' or '-ves', and others only take '-s'.

3. Solved Examples

Rule A (-es for s, sh, ch, x):

• Class → Classes
• Kiss → Kisses
• Dish → Dishes
• Brush → Brushes
• Match → Matches
• Watch → Watches
• Branch → Branches
• Tax → Taxes
• Box → Boxes

Rule B (-o endings):

• Add -es: buffalo/buffaloes, mango/mangoes, hero/heroes, potato/potatoes, cargo/cargoes, echo/echoes, negro/negroes, volcano/volcanoes.
• Add only -s: dynamo/dynamos, solo/solos, ratio/ratios, canto/cantos, memento/mementos, quarto/quartos, piano/pianos, photo/photos, stereo/stereos, kilo/kilos, logo/logos, commando/commandos.

Rule C (-y to -ies):

• Baby → Babies
• Lady → Ladies
• City → Cities
• Army → Armies
• Story → Stories
• Pony → Ponies

Rule D (-f/fe to -ves):

• Thief → Thieves, Wife → Wives, Wolf → Wolves, Life → Lives, Calf → Calves, Leaf → Leaves, Loaf → Loaves, Knife → Knives, Shelf → Shelves, Half → Halves, Elf → Elves, Self → Selves, Sheaf → Sheaves.
• Either -s or -ves: dwarf (dwarfs/dwarves), hoof (hoofs/hooves), scarf (scarfs/scarves), wharf (wharfs/wharves).
• Only -s: chief/chiefs, safe/safes, proof/proofs, gulf/gulfs, cliff/cliffs, handkerchief/handkerchiefs.

4. Practice Exercises

Provide the plural forms of the following nouns:

1. Fox
2. Piano
3. Duty
4. Chief

5. Solutions and Explanations

1. Foxes (Ends in 'x', so add '-es').

2. Pianos (Musical terms ending in 'o' usually just take '-s').

3. Duties (Ends in 'y' with a consonant 't' before it. Change 'y' to 'i' and add '-es').

4. Chiefs (Exception to the 'f' rule; just add '-s').

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Writing "monkey" as "monkies".

Tip: Rule C only applies if the 'y' is preceded by a consonant. If there is a vowel before the 'y' (like the 'e' in monkey, or 'o' in boy), just add '-s' (monkeys, boys).

7. Quick Summary

Pay attention to the last letter! s/sh/ch/x usually get '-es'. For '-y' (after a consonant), use '-ies'. For '-f/-fe', usually use '-ves', but memorize the exceptions.

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Topic 3: Irregular Plurals (Inside Vowels and '-en')

1. Explanation

Some nouns do not care about adding '-s' or '-es' at all. Instead, they change their inner spelling, or they add a completely different ending like '-en'. We call these "irregular plurals."

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

Rule: You must memorize these words as they follow ancient English rules rather than modern ones.

Exception: The noun "fish" usually stays "fish" in the plural. The form "fishes" is correct but less usual (mostly used when talking about different species of fish).

3. Solved Examples

Inside Vowel Changes:

• Man → Men
• Woman → Women
• Foot → Feet
• Tooth → Teeth
• Goose → Geese
• Mouse → Mice
• Louse → Lice

Adding '-en':

• Ox → Oxen
• Child → Children

4. Practice Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct plural form:

1. The dentist pulled out two of my ____ (tooth).
2. Three blind ____ (mouse) ran across the floor.
3. The field was ploughed by a pair of ____ (ox).

5. Solutions and Explanations

1. Teeth (Inner vowel change from 'oo' to 'ee').

2. Mice (Inner vowel change from 'ouse' to 'ice').

3. Oxen (Irregular addition of '-en').

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Saying "childs" or "childrens".

Tip: "Children" is already plural! Never add an 's' to it unless you are showing possession (like "the children's toys").

7. Quick Summary

Irregular nouns change inner vowels (man/men) or add '-en' (child/children). Fish remains fish.

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Topic 4: Nouns with the Same Singular and Plural Form

1. Explanation

Some nouns are highly stubborn—they do not change their spelling at all whether you have one of them or one hundred of them!

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

Rule: Words for certain animals, fish, and measurements remain exactly the same in both singular and plural forms.

Measurement Rule: Words like pair, dozen, score, gross, hundred, and thousand do not take an 's' when they are used right after a specific number (e.g., three dozen).

3. Solved Examples

• Animals/Fish: Swine, sheep, deer; cod, trout, salmon.
• Others: Aircraft, spacecraft, series, species.
• Measurements:
  • I bought three dozen oranges. (Not dozens)
  • Some people reach the age of three score and ten.
  • The sari cost me five thousand rupees.
  • He weighs above nine stone.
  • Twenty hundredweight make one ton.

4. Practice Exercises

Correct the errors in the following sentences:

1. I saw three deers in the forest.
2. Can you lend me two thousands dollars?

5. Solutions and Explanations

1. I saw three deer in the forest. (Deer is the same in singular and plural).

2. Can you lend me two thousand dollars? (When a specific number like 'two' comes before 'thousand', we do not add an 's').

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Adding an 's' to hundred or dozen when there is a number before it.

Tip: Only use plural forms (hundreds, dozens) when there is NO specific number before them (e.g., "I saw hundreds of birds" is correct, but "I saw two hundred birds" is the right way when using a number).

7. Quick Summary

Sheep, deer, and aircraft don't change. Measurements (dozen, hundred) don't change if preceded by a specific number.

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Topic 5: The Tricky Nouns (Plural-Only vs Singular-Only)

1. Explanation

English has "trickster" nouns. Some always look plural and act plural, even if they refer to a single object. Others look plural (end in 's') but act like a singular noun. And some look singular but are actually plural! Let's break them down.

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

Rule A: Always Plural. Items made of two identical parts (like scissors), certain clothes, and specific abstract terms exist only in plural form.

Rule B: Look Plural but are Singular. Subjects of study, some diseases, and some games end in '-s' but take a singular verb.

Rule C: Look Singular but are Plural (Collective). Some group words don't end in 's' but represent many things, taking a plural verb.

Rule D: Uncountables. Abstract nouns (feelings) and material nouns (metals) are singular and have no plural.

3. Solved Examples

Always Plural:

• Instruments (two parts): Bellows, scissors, tongs, pincers, spectacles.
• Dress items: Trousers, drawers, breeches, jeans, tights, shorts, pyjamas.
• Others: Annals, thanks, proceeds (of a sale), tidings, environs, nuptials, obsequies, assets, chattels, alms, riches, eaves. (Example: "Riches do many things.")

Look Plural but are Singular:

• Subjects: Mathematics, physics, electronics. (Example: Mathematics is his favourite study.)
• News: (Example: No news is good news.)
• Diseases: Measles, mumps, rickets. (Example: Measles is infectious.)
• Games: Billiards, draughts. (Example: Billiards is my favourite game.)
• Also 'Innings': India won by an innings and three runs.
• Special word - 'Means': Can be singular or plural. (He succeeded by this means). But when it means 'wealth', it is always plural. (His means are small, but he has incurred no debt.)

Look Singular but are Plural:

• Poultry, cattle, vermin, people, gentry.
• Examples: These poultry are mine. Whose are these cattle? Vermin destroy our property. There are few gentry in this town.
• Note on 'people': When it means "persons", it is plural (Who are those people?). When it means a "nation", it acts as a regular noun (The Japanese are a hard-working people. There are many different peoples in Europe.)

Uncountables (No Plural):

• Abstract: Hope, charity, love, kindness. (If pluralized, they change meaning: 'kindnesses' = acts of kindness).
• Materials: Copper, iron, tin, wood. (If pluralized, they become countable objects: 'woods' = forests, 'coppers' = copper coins, 'irons' = fetters, 'tins' = cans).

4. Practice Exercises

Choose the correct verb for each sentence:

1. Where (is/are) my scissors?
2. Physics (is/are) a difficult subject.
3. The cattle (is/are) grazing in the field.
4. His trousers (is/are) torn.

5. Solutions and Explanations

1. are (Scissors is an instrument with two parts, always plural).

2. is (Physics looks plural but is the name of a single subject).

3. are (Cattle looks singular but is a collective noun acting as a plural).

4. are (Trousers is an article of dress with two legs, always plural).

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Saying "I have a good news."

Tip: "News" is singular but uncountable. Say "I have good news" or "I have a piece of good news." Never say "a news" or "newses".

7. Quick Summary

Two-part tools/clothes = Plural. Subjects/Diseases/News ending in 's' = Singular. Cattle/People = Plural.

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Topic 6: Compound Nouns, Letters, and Titles

1. Explanation

When a noun is made of multiple words (a compound noun), how do you make it plural? And how do you make a single letter (like 'A') or a number (like '5') plural?

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

Rule A (Compound Nouns): Add the '-s' to the principal (main) word in the compound.

Rule B (Letters and Numbers): Add an apostrophe and an 's' ('s) to letters, figures, and symbols.

Rule C (Titles): When referring to members of a family, pluralize the name, not the title (e.g., The Miss Smiths).

3. Solved Examples

Compound Nouns:

• Commander-in-chief → Commanders-in-chief (Commander is the main word)
• Coat-of-mail → Coats-of-mail
• Son-in-law → Sons-in-law
• Daughter-in-law → Daughters-in-law
• Step-son → Step-sons (Son is the main word)
• Step-daughter → Step-daughters
• Maid-servant → Maid-servants
• Passer-by → Passers-by
• Looker-on → Lookers-on
• Man-of-war → Men-of-war
• Exception: Man-servant becomes men-servants (both parts become plural!).
• Note: Spoonful and handful become spoonfuls and handfuls (treated as one word).
• Note: Brahman and Mussulman become Brahmans and Mussulmans (they are not compounds of the English word "man").

Letters and Figures:

• There are more e's than a's in this page.
• Dot your i's and cross your t's.
• Add two 5's and four 2's.

Titles:

• The Miss Smiths. (Singular: Miss Smith).

4. Practice Exercises

Make the following plural:

1. Brother-in-law
2. The letter 'p'
3. Handful

5. Solutions and Explanations

1. Brothers-in-law (Brother is the principal word).

2. p's (Use apostrophe 's' for single letters).

3. Handfuls (Treated as a single word, add 's' at the end).

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Writing "Mother-in-laws".

Tip: Always identify the main person/thing in a hyphenated word. The "Mother" is the person, so she gets the plural 's' (Mothers-in-law).

7. Quick Summary

For hyphenated compounds, pluralize the most important word. Use an apostrophe + s for letters and numbers.

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Topic 7: Nouns from Foreign Languages

1. Explanation

English has borrowed heavily from other languages (Latin, Greek, French, Italian). Sometimes, these borrowed words keep the plural rules of their original language!

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

Rule: Instead of adding '-s', you must learn the specific foreign endings. For example, Latin words ending in '-um' often change to '-a', and Greek words ending in '-is' often change to '-es'.

3. Solved Examples

Origin	Singular	Plural
Latin	Erratum	Errata
Latin	Formula	Formulae (or formulas)
Latin	Index	Indices
Latin	Memorandum	Memoranda
Latin	Radius	Radii
Latin	Terminus	Termini (or terminuses)
Greek	Axis	Axes
Greek	Parenthesis	Parentheses
Greek	Crisis	Crises
Greek	Hypothesis	Hypotheses
Greek	Basis	Bases
Greek	Phenomenon	Phenomena
Greek	Analysis	Analyses
Greek	Criterion	Criteria
Italian	Bandit	Banditti (or bandits)
French	Madame (madam)	Mesdames
French	Monsieur	Messieurs
Hebrew	Cherub	Cherubim (or cherubs)
Hebrew	Seraph	Seraphim (or seraphs)

4. Practice Exercises

Change to the correct foreign plural:

1. Basis
2. Radius
3. Criterion

5. Solutions and Explanations

1. Bases (Greek: change -is to -es).

2. Radii (Latin: change -us to -i).

3. Criteria (Greek: change -on to -a).

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Saying "One criteria".

Tip: "Criteria" is plural! If you only have one, you must say "one criterion". The same goes for "phenomenon" (singular) and "phenomena" (plural).

7. Quick Summary

Words from Latin, Greek, French, and Hebrew often retain their unique original plural spellings.

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Topic 8: Nouns that Change Meaning in the Plural

1. Explanation

This is where English gets very interesting. Sometimes, when you add an '-s' to a word, you don't just get "more of the same." The word takes on a completely new meaning, or it develops multiple meanings!

2. Categories and Solved Examples

Category A: Nouns with TWO forms for the plural, each with a different meaning.

• Brother: brothers (sons of the same parent) OR brethren (members of a society or community).
• Cloth: cloths (pieces or kinds of cloth) OR clothes (stitched garments we wear).
• Die: dies (stamps for coining) OR dice (small cubes used in games).
• Index: indexes (tables of contents in books) OR indices (signs used in algebra).
• Penny: pennies (number of individual coins) OR pence (total amount in value).

Category B: Nouns with TWO meanings in singular, but ONE in plural.

• Light: (1) radiance, (2) a lamp → Lights: just lamps.
• People: (1) nation, (2) men/women → Peoples: nations.
• Powder: (1) dust, (2) dose of medicine → Powders: doses of medicine.
• Practice: (1) habit, (2) exercise of a profession → Practices: habits.

Category C: Nouns with ONE meaning in singular, TWO in plural.

Singular	Plural Meanings
Colour (hue)	(1) hues, (2) the flag of a regiment
Custom (habit)	(1) habits, (2) duties levied on imports
Effect (result)	(1) results, (2) property
Manner (method)	(1) methods, (2) correct behaviour
Moral (lesson)	(1) moral lessons, (2) conduct
Number (quantity)	(1) quantities, (2) verses
Pain (suffering)	(1) sufferings, (2) care/exertion
Premise (proposition)	(1) propositions, (2) buildings
Quarter (fourth part)	(1) fourth parts, (2) lodgings
Spectacle (a sight)	(1) sights, (2) eye-glasses

Note: Letter (singular) means (1) alphabet letter, (2) epistle. Letters (plural) means (1) alphabet letters, (2) epistles, (3) literature. Ground (singular) means (1) earth, (2) reason. Grounds (plural) means (1) enclosed land attached to a house, (2) reasons, (3) dregs.

Category D: Nouns with totally different meanings in singular vs plural.

• Advice (counsel) → Advices (information)
• Air (atmosphere) → Airs (affected / proud manners)
• Good (benefit) → Goods (merchandise)
• Compass (extent/range) → Compasses (instrument for drawing circles)
• Respect (regard) → Respects (compliments)
• Physic (medicine) → Physics (natural science)
• Iron (metal) → Irons (fetters / chains)
• Force (strength) → Forces (troops / army)

3. Practice Exercises

Choose the correct word based on the intended meaning:

1. He packed his (cloths / clothes) in the suitcase.
2. The soldiers saluted the (colour / colours) of their regiment.
3. Send my (respect / respects) to your parents.

4. Solutions and Explanations

1. clothes (Garments we wear, not just pieces of fabric).

2. colours (In plural, 'colours' can mean the flag of a regiment).

3. respects (In plural, 'respects' means compliments or greetings).

5. Common Mistakes and Tips

Mistake: Saying "He gave me good advices."

Tip: "Advice" (counsel) is uncountable and has no plural. "Advices" means information/reports. You should say "He gave me good advice" or "He gave me a good piece of advice."

6. Quick Summary

Be careful when making certain words plural! An added '-s' can sometimes change a word's meaning completely (like good → goods, or iron → irons).

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Chapter Assessment: Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

Test your knowledge of Nouns and Numbers!

1. What is the plural of "watch"?
A) Watchs
B) Watches
C) Watch
D) Watchies

Answer: B. Explanation: Words ending in 'ch' (soft sound) take '-es' to form the plural.

2. Which of the following is the correct plural of "city"?
A) Citys
B) Cites
C) Cities
D) Citiys

Answer: C. Explanation: Words ending in 'y' preceded by a consonant change 'y' to 'i' and add '-es'.

3. What is the plural of "calf"?
A) Calfs
B) Calfes
C) Calves
D) Calvs

Answer: C. Explanation: Nouns ending in 'f' often change to 'v' and add '-es'.

4. Choose the correct irregular plural for "mouse".
A) Mouses
B) Mice
C) Meese
D) Mouse

Answer: B. Explanation: "Mouse" undergoes an internal vowel change to become "mice".

5. Which of the following words has the same singular and plural form?
A) Goose
B) Sheep
C) Child
D) Foot

Answer: B. Explanation: "Sheep" is spelled the same whether there is one or one hundred.

6. I bought three _______ oranges. Fill in the blank correctly.
A) dozen
B) dozens
C) dozense
D) dozen's

Answer: A. Explanation: Measurement words like dozen do not take an 's' when preceded by a specific number (like three).

7. Which of the following nouns is ONLY used in the plural?
A) Boy
B) Book
C) Scissors
D) Desk

Answer: C. Explanation: Instruments with two parts, like scissors and spectacles, are always plural.

8. Mathematics _____ his favourite study. Fill in the blank.
A) are
B) is
C) were
D) am

Answer: B. Explanation: Mathematics looks plural but is the name of a single subject, taking a singular verb.

9. Which of the following is a collective noun that looks singular but is used as a plural?
A) News
B) Mathematics
C) Measles
D) Cattle

Answer: D. Explanation: "Cattle" looks singular but represents many animals and takes a plural verb.

10. What is the plural of "Son-in-law"?
A) Son-in-laws
B) Sons-in-laws
C) Sons-in-law
D) Son-ins-law

Answer: C. Explanation: In compound nouns, pluralize the principal word (Son).

11. What is the plural of "Man-servant"?
A) Man-servants
B) Men-servants
C) Men-servant
D) Mans-servants

Answer: B. Explanation: This is an exception where both parts of the compound noun become plural.

12. Choose the correct plural for the Latin word "Erratum".
A) Erratums
B) Erratas
C) Errata
D) Errates

Answer: C. Explanation: In Latin words, '-um' changes to '-a'.

13. What is the correct plural form of the Greek word "Crisis"?
A) Crises
B) Crisises
C) Crisi
D) Crisa

Answer: A. Explanation: Greek words ending in '-is' change to '-es' in the plural.

14. If "brother" means members of a society, what is the plural form?
A) Brothers
B) Brotherhoods
C) Brethren
D) Brothers-in-law

Answer: C. Explanation: Brethren is the specific plural form for members of a community or society.

15. What does the word "Clothes" mean?
A) Kinds or pieces of fabric
B) Stitched garments
C) Bed sheets
D) Curtains

Answer: B. Explanation: 'Cloths' means pieces of fabric, while 'clothes' refers to stitched garments we wear.

16. What is the plural form of the letter 't'?
A) ts
B) tes
C) t's
D) t''s

Answer: C. Explanation: Letters and figures are made plural by adding an apostrophe and an s.

17. Which word changes its meaning from "benefit/well-being" to "merchandise" when pluralized?
A) Respect
B) Iron
C) Good
D) Force

Answer: C. Explanation: Good (singular) means benefit. Goods (plural) means merchandise.

18. What does "Spectacles" mean in plural form?
A) Only sights
B) Only eye-glasses
C) Both sights and eye-glasses
D) Ghosts

Answer: C. Explanation: Spectacles has two plural meanings: sights/events and eye-glasses.

19. The word "Copper" is uncountable. If we say "Coppers", what does it mean?
A) Copper pipes
B) Copper coins
C) A lot of copper metal
D) Policemen

Answer: B. Explanation: When material nouns are pluralized, they change meaning. Coppers means copper coins.

20. Which of the following nouns takes only '-s' instead of '-es'?
A) Potato
B) Echo
C) Piano
D) Hero

Answer: C. Explanation: Piano is an exception to the '-o' rule and only takes an '-s' (Pianos).