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Friends, this is the continuation of our previous lesson English Grammar for Competitive Exams in 60 Days - Lesson 6 (Part I). In that lesson, we have discussed 12 important points about formation of plurals. In this post we shall discuss the remaining. So, I request you to kindly read that Part I Lesson from here, before reading this. Thank you :)
13. Plural of Collective Nouns :
Certain collective Nouns, though Singular in form, are always used as Plurals.
E.g. Cattle, Poultry, Gentry, Vermin, People, Swine
- These cattle are mine.
- Whose poultry are these ?
- The landed gentry were once wealthy.
- Vermin destroy our property and carry disease.
- All the people have returned home.
- Herds of swine lined in forest.
Note : As as Common Noun 'people' means 'a nation' and is used in both Singular and Plural.
- The french are a hard working and brave people.
- There are many different peoples in Europe.
14. Plural of Compound Nouns :
- Compound Nouns generally form their plural by adding '-s' to the principal word.
- Son-in-law : sons-in-law (not son-in-laws)
- Brother-in-law : brothers-in-law (not brother-in-laws)
- Daughter-in-law : daughters-in-law
- Mother-in-law : mothers-in-law
- Father-in-law : fathers-in-law
- Commander-in-law : commanders-in-law
- Coat-of-mail : coats-of-mail
- Passer-by : passers-by
- Looker-on : lookers-on
- Hanger-on : hangers-on
- Man-of-war : men-of-war
- Step-daughter : step-daughters
- Maid-servant : maid-servants
- Step-son : step-sons
- Boy-scout : boy-scouts
- Girl-scout : girl-scouts
- Major-general : major-generals
- Court-martial : courts-martial
- Governor-general : governors-general (here the principal word is governor)
- Knight-errant : knights-errant
- In some Compound Nouns there must be change in both the words.
- Man-servant : men-servants
- Man-teacher : men-teacher
- Woman-teacher : women-teachers
- Woman-student : women-students
- Knight-templar : knights-templars
- Lord-justice : lords-justices
- If the principal word is a verb, the 's' must be placed at the end of the entire combination.
- hold-up : hold-ups
- hold-all : hold-alls
- look-out : look-outs
- pick-me-up : pick-me-ups
- We say 'spoonfuls' and 'handfuls' because 'spoonful' and 'handful' are regarded as one word.
- Note : Proper Nouns 'Brahman' and 'Musalman' are not compounds of 'man', therefore their plurals are 'Brahmans', 'Musalmans'.
15. Plural of nouns taken from foreign languages :
Many nouns taken from foreign languages keep their original plural forms.
- Words ending in -'a' form their plurals by adding -'e'
- Formula : formulae (formulas)
- Larva : larvae
- Vertebra : vertebrae
- Nebula : nebule
- Words ending in -'us' form their plurals by removing -'us' and adding -'i'.
- Focus : foci (focuses)
- Fungus : fungi
- Bacillus : bacilli
- Nucleus : nuclei
- Radius : radii
- Stimulus : stimuli
- Alumnus : alumni
- Syllabus : syllabi (syllabuses)
- Words ending in -'um' form their plurals by removing -'um' and adding -'a'.
- Addendum : addenda
- Bacterium : bacteria
- Curriculum : curricula (curriculums)
- Datum : data
- Agendum : agenda
- Medium : media
- Stratum : strata or stratums
- Memorandum : memoranda
- Words ending in -'ex' or -'ix' form their plurals by adding -'es'
- Apex : apexes
- Index : indexes
- Appendix : appendixes
- Greek words ending in '-is' form their plurals by removing '-is' and adding '-es'
- Axis : axes
- Analysis : analyses
- Basis : bases
- Crisis : cries
- Parenthesis : parentheses
- Hypothesis : hypotheses
- Synopsis : synopses
- Thesis : theses
- Oasis : oases
- Words ending in '-on' form their plural by removing '-on', and adding '-a'.
- Criterion : criteria
- Phenomenon : phenomena
- Other foreign plurals
- Bandit : banditti (bandits)
- Madame (madam) : mesdames
- Monsieur : messieurs
- Cherub : cherubium (cherubs)
- Seraph : seraphim (seraphs)
- Beau : beau (beaus)
- Series : series
- Species : species
- Apparatus : apparatus
Note : 'Agendum' is not used in English. 'Agenda', though a Latin plural, is treated as a singular in English as :
What is the agenda ?
16. Nouns having two forms for the plural, each with a some what different meaning :
Some nouns have two forms for the plural, each with a some what different meaning.
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Sons of the same parent
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Members of a society
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Kinds or pieces of cloth
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Stamps for coining
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Small cubes used in games
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Taken separately
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Taken collectively
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Men of talent
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Tables of contents
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Signs used in algebra
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Number of coins
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Amount in value
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Sticks or poles
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Departments in the army or a business salaried employees taken collectively
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Little balls discharged from a gun
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Discharges; marksmen; photographic recordings.
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17. Nouns having two meanings in the singular but only one in the plural.
Some Nouns have two meanings in the singular, but only one in the plural :
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Men and Women
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Doses of medicine
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A dose of medicine
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Exercise for a profession
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18. Nouns having one meaning in the singular, but two in the plural "
Some Nouns have one meaning in the singular, but two in the plural :
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The flags of a regiment
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Duties levied on imports
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Correct behaviours
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A moral lesson
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Moral lessons
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A quantity
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Quantities
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Sufferings
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Care, Exertion
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Proposition
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Proposition
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Fourth part
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Fourth parts
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Spectacles
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Eye-glasses
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19. Nouns having different meanings in the singular and the plural.
Nouns having different meanings in the singular and the plural are :
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Information
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Atmosphere
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Affected manners
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Flesh of ox
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Cattle, bulls and cows
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Benefit, well-being
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Merchandise
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Extent, Range
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An instrument for drawing circles
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Fetters made of iron
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Natural science
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Compliments
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Evening prayers
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Coming back
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Statistics
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A kind of matter
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A tract of sandy land
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20. How are letters, figures and other symbols made plural ?
Letters, figures and other symbols are made plural by adding an apostrophe and 's'
- There are more e's than a's in this page.
- Add three 5's and three 2's.
- Five B.A's and three M.A's applied for the post.
21. Plural of Proper Nouns :
- Proper Nouns have no plural.
- E.g : Rama, Krishna, Smith, Mary
- When they appear in the plural, they are used as Common Nouns.
- E.g :
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- Egypt is a country in Africa (proper noun)
- Many Egypts (= countries are as large as Egypt) could be contained in India (common noun).
- Proper Noun may be used in the plural, and still remain a Proper Noun when several people or places of the same name are referred to collectively.
- E.g : The Smiths, the two Marys.
- Some proper nouns are found only in the plural.
- E.g : The Alps, the Pennines, The potteries, the Highlands.
22. Plural of Abstract Nouns :
- Abstract Nouns have no plural.
- E.g : Hope, charity, love, kindness, etc.
- When the Abstract Nouns are used in the plural, they become Common Nouns.
- E.g :
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- Provocations = instance or cases of provocation
- Kindnesses = acts of kindness
- Kindness is part of his character. (Abstract Noun)
- He did many kindnesses. (Common Noun)
23. Plural of Material Nouns :
- Material Nouns have no plural.
- E.g : Copper, iron, tin, wood, etc
- When Material Nouns are used in the plural, they become common nouns with changed meanings, as :
- Eg :
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- Coppers : copper coins
- Irons : fetters
- Tins : cans made of tin
- Woods : forests
Exercise - 16
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the plural of the words given in the brackets.
- He is good at telling funny ______________ (story)
- Several ______________ witnessed the scene. (passer-by)
- His two______________ have come to see him. (son-in-law)
- There are several ______________ in the Sahara. (oasis)
- Give the ______________ of these stories. (synopsis)
- The ______________ go to school daily. (child)
- They are ______________ of our university (alumnus)
- They are many ______________ on the underside the leaf. (larva)
- The ______________ of these two circles are different. (radius)
- The______________ of uranium and thorium atoms can be split. (nucleus)
(Answers will be disclosed in next Lesson)
That's all for today friends. In our next Lesson, we shall discuss about Nouns : Case. Happy Reading :)
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