Prof. Janet NievesGrammar 1731

* Module on Nouns

Adapted from Dr. Jean Rodriguez Interamerican University Guayama Campus

* PRE – TESTInstructions before starting the pre test activity: Answers will be pasted to a Word document

and emailed to Prof. Nieves. Part I. MULTIPLE CHOICE

* Read the following words carefully. The words are nouns. Then change them to their plural form by applying the rules and choosing the correct alternative.

1. infectiona) infectionesb) infectionsc) infectioniesd) infecctionnes

PRE – TEST2. cliff

a) clivesb) clifsc) cliffsd) Clivfes

3. companye) companyiesf) companiesg) companieesh) companys

4. monkeya) monkeysb) monkiesc) monkeyiesd) monkieys

5. taxe) taxiesf) texesg) taxsh) taxes

*Part II. Identify

Read the following sentences. There may be more than one plural noun in each sentence. Only one of them is irregular or special. Write the irregular or special plural noun in each sentence.

1. Joe helped the children paint their toys.2. Are the sheep chasing the boys?3. Babies who are one month old usually do not have teeth.4. Always be careful of how you place knives on the tables.5. The boxes were ruined by the deer.6. The fish in the ponds were dying.7. The boys’ feet hurt from the hikes.8. Were the women ready for the raffles?9. The mice were hard to keep in the traps.10.People must be careful when they walk alone in the parks.

*Part III. Change to pluralThe underlined noun in each sentence is spelled in its singular form. Write the correct plural form after each sentence. Be sure to apply the correct rule.

1. She wanted a few kiss from her boyfriend.2. There were too many tomato in the boxes.3. The Super hero were in the film.4. That man has had three wife.5. Where did the thief hide the money?

*Part IV. Exercise: Regular Plural Nouns

The following nouns in each sentence are spelled in their singular form. Write the correct plural form after each sentence.

1. There are two many pants in the drawer.

2. How many avocado did you buy?

3. Nancy does not enjoy cutting onion.4. We will use the gazebo for the barbecue.

5. Those mosquito have to be eliminated.

*NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:*People: Juan Ramos is a teacher.

*NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:*Places: The Eiffel Tower is located in Paris, France.

*NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:*Animals: Cats are interesting house pets.

*NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:*Actions: Parking can be a problem at Mayaguez Mall.

*NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:*Feelings: I feel less stress when I jog.

*NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:*Abstract qualities: Her parents talked about her love for Raúl.

*NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:*Abstract ideas: His personal philosophy is intriguing.

*NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:*Concrete things: Pedro lost his English Dictionary.

*CHARACTERISTICS*Nouns can also be identified by their endings. Some common nouns are:

-er/ -or speaker, actor

-ism vandalism, criticism

- ist scientist, artist

- ment government, establishment

- tion organization, foundation

• The words “a, an and the” signal that a noun is coming:

Singular Pluralthe tree trees

ball balls

an appleairplane

a buildingcat

CHARACTERISTICS

*NOUN PLURALS

NOUN PLURALSRULE 1:

*Most nouns generally become plural by adding an “ s”.

SINGULAR PLURAL

dog dogs

table tables

room rooms

door doors

*NOUN PLURALS

RULE 2: *Nouns that end in a

hissing sound “ –s, -ch, -sh, -z, -x and – ss” , become plural by adding “–es.”

SINGULAR PLURAL

bus busses

prize prizes

patch patches

fox foxes

boss bosses

brush brushes

*NOUN PLURALS

RULE 3:* If the noun ends in a:

“vowel plus y” (- ay,- ey,- iy-, oy,), then add “ s” to form the plural.

SINGULAR PLURAL

way ways

key keys

boy boys

day days

*NOUN PLURALS

RULE 4:* If the noun ends in a

“consonant plus y “, “change the y to ie “ and add s to form the plural:

SINGULAR PLURAL

lady ladies

baby babies

poppy poppies

penny pennies

*NOUN PLURALS

RULE 5:*Some nouns that end in “ f

or fe “ have plurals that end in – ves:

SINGULAR PLURAL

knife knives

elf elves

wife wives

self selves

*NOUN PLURALSRULE 6:* Nouns ending in “ o “

are formed into plural by either adding “ –s or -es” . Some plurals may be formed either way. You must check the dictionary or follow some simple rules:

-OS OES EITHER -OS OR OES

kilo kilos

pro pros

studio studios

echo echoes

hero heroes

potato potatoes

veto vetoes

avocado avocados/ avocadoes

buffalo buffalos / buffaloes

mango mangos/ mangoes

ghetto ghettos/ ghettoes

mulatto mulattos/ mulattoes

RULE 6:• Nouns ending in “ a

vowel plus o” - “ –ao, -eo, - o, -oo. – uo;

• Have plurals that end in just “s”.

• All musical terms ending in “o” form plurals by ending in just “s”.

*EXCEPTIONS EXCEPTIONS:

* Nouns ending in “ o “ preceded by a consonant:

dynamo dynamos

halo halos

piano pianos

cuckoo cuckoos

portafolio portafolios

• Nouns ending in “o” preceded by a vowel:

*NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

* IRREGULAR PLURALS

SINGULAR PLURAL

foot feet

goose geese

man men

tooth teeth

Certain irregular nouns have special plural forms. These change the vowel sound in becoming plural:

*NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

* IRREGULAR PLURALS

SINGULAR PLURAL

child children

ox oxen

Some Old English plurals are still in use. These are called “ mutated plurals.”

*NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

* IRREGULAR PLURALS

SINGULAR PLURAL

sheep sheep

fish fish

species species

cod cod

Some nouns have the same form in the singular as in the plural:

*NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

* IRREGULAR PLURALS

Some nouns have a plural form, but use a singular verb:

EXAMPLES:

• linguistics- Linguistics is the study of language.

• news – The news on Channel 4 starts at 5:00 PM.

*NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

* IRREGULAR PLURALS

Some nouns have a plural form and use a plural verb.

EXAMPLES:

• jeans- J. Lo jeans give the best fit.• glasses - She cannot read with those

glasses.

*NOUN PLURALSRULE 8:

*Nouns ending in ch with a k sound form plurals by adding –s.

SINGULAR PLURAL

stomach stomachs

epoch epochs

1. turkeya. turkeysb. turkiesc. turkeysd. turkeiyes

2. preventiona. preventionsb.

preventiones

c. preventionies

d. prevenions

3. accounta.

accounts

b. accounties

c. accountes

d. accounts

4. ferrya. ferryesb. ferreisc.ferriesd.ferryies

*ACTIVITY 1 ACTIVITY 1: Read the following words carefully. The words are nouns. Change them to plural by choosing the correct alternative:

5. abilitya. abilitiesb.

abilitays

c. abilitiesd.

abilityies

____ 1.The plural of horse is:a. horseb. horsiesc. horsesd. horses

____2. The plural of cup is:e. cupsf. cupiesg. cupysh. cupps

_____3. The plural of sketch is:a. sketchb. sketchesc. sketchyesd. sketchies

_____4. The plural of ox is:a. oxb. oxiesc. oxend. oxyes

*ACTIVITY 2 ACTIVITY 2: Change the singular nouns to the plural. Choose the correct alternative.

______5. The plural of scissors is:

a. scissorssb. scissorsc. scissoriesd. scissorys

1. desk ________________2. piano ________________3. planet ________________4. alley ________________5. ax ________________

*ACTIVITY 3 ACTIVITY 3: For each noun, type the plural form in the space:

1. restaurant two ______________________2. linoleum many _______________________3. entrance several

_______________________4. community a lot of

_______________________5. campus some _______________________

*ACTIVITY 4 ACTIVITY 4: For each singular noun, type the plural form in the space:

1. Pam needs ten loaf of bread for breakfast.

2. Buy two new cage, since the monkey broke his.

3. Various storm will hit Puerto Rico in September.

4. The most beautiful monument are those in church.

5. She made three wish on her birthday.

*ACTIVITY 5 ACTIVITY 5: In the following sentences there is one singular noun that should be plural. Underline that noun and write the correct form after the sentence.

*NOUN PLURALSRULE 9:

Nouns which retain their original Greek or Latin forms make plurals according to the rules of Greek or Latin.

SINGULAR PLURAL

alumnus alumni

crisis crises

phenomenon phenomena

stimulus stimuli

cactus cacti

*NOUN PLURALS*Some nouns retain foreign plurals. Some have

adapted a regular English plural form as well:

SINGULAR FOREIGN PLURAL ENGLISH PLURAL

antenna antennae antennas

formula formulae formulas

*NOUN PLURALS*Nouns ending in “us” take on an “ a”. ( only in

technical use)SINGULAR PLURAL

corpus corpora

genus genera

*NOUN PLURALS*Nouns ending in “ us” with plural:

SINGULAR FOREIGN PLURAL ENGLISH PLURAL

cactus cacti cactuses

fungus fungi funguses

octopus octopi octopuses

syllabus syllabi syllabuses

* Nouns ending in “ um” with plural”

SINGULAR FOREIGN PLURAL ENGLISH PLURAL

curriculum curricula curriculums

memorandum

memoranda memorandums

symposium symposia symposiums

* Nouns ending in – ex , ix becoming plural -ices:

SINGULAR FOREIGN PLURAL PLURAL ENGLISH

apex apices apexes

appendix appendices appendixes

index indices indexes

matrix matrices matrixes

* Nouns ending in – is become -es in plural:SINGULAR PLURAL

analysis analysesbasis bases

emphasis emphasesoasis oasesthesis theses

criterion criteriaphenomenon phenoma

Nouns ending in --on become a:

* RULE: Numerical expressions are usually singular, but can be plural if the individuals within the numerical group are acting individually.

EXAMPLES:

• Twenty thousand dollars is less money than expected

• Twenty percent of the faculty have Ph.D’s.

NOUN PLURALS

* RULE: The plurals of single capital letters, acronyms and Arabic numerals take an –s WITHOUT an apostrophe:

EXAMPLES:

F( letter F )---- Fs

ATM ( Automatic Teller machine) ATMS

3 ( the Arabic Numeral 3)—3s

NOUN PLURALS

* OTHER IRREGULAR PLURALS FROM DIFFERENT LANGUAGES:

SINGULAR PLURAL

ITALIAN libretto libretti

virtuoso virtuosi

HEBREW cherub cherubim

seraph seraphim

GREEK schema schemata

*COMPOUND NOUNS

SINGULAR PLURAL

armchair armchairs

fireman firemen

RULE: Normally, the last word changes to plural.

* WHERE man or woman come first, both parts change to plural:

woman- teacher women-teachers

manservant menservants

* COMPOUND nouns formed with prepositions or adverbs make only the first word plural:

locker-on lockers-on

father- in- law fathers – in – law

spoonful spoonfuls

1. The plural of zero is:a. zerosb. zeroiesc. zeroysd. zero

2. The plural of species is:e. specyf. specyiesg. speciesh. speci

3. The plural of fungus is:a. fungusb. fungisc. fungyd. fungi

4. The plural of stimulus is:a. stimulisb. stimusesc. stimulesiesd. stimuli

*POST- TESTPart I : Change the singular nouns to the plural:

5. The plural of index is:a. indexiesb. indexyesc. indicesd. index

1. base ______________

2. diagnosis ______________

3. analysis ______________

4. auto ______________

5. torpedo ______________

*POST- TESTPART II: For each noun, type the plural form in the space:

1. fish many ___________________

2. cactus several ___________________

3. news several ___________________

4. bacterium many ___________________

5. curriculum a lot of ___________________

*POST- TESTPart III: For each singular noun, type the plural form in the space:

1. The North and South had a Civil War.a. andb. ac. the d. war

2. The Art Museum inaugurated in 1978.e. museumf. artg. inauguratedh. in

*POST- TESTPart IV: Identify the nouns in the following sentences:

3. It will take all your knowledge to pass the SAT.a. willb. yourc. Alld. knowledge

4. The novels are on reserve.e. onf. areg. reserveh. the

5. Tell the children to keep their heads inside the car.a. childrenb. theirc. insided. the

1. The old lady’s scrarves were old-fashioned.2. Maria was told to dean the shelves.3. Bobby and Tommy are twins brothers and

they are firemen.4. The field with poppies look breathtaking.5. The nuclei seemed astonishing to the

scientist.

*POST- TESTPart V: Read the following sentences carefully. Select the irregular or special noun which is in plural. Change it to singular.

SINGULAR PLURAL PLURAL SINGULAR

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

CHALLENGERead the following paragraph. Pick out at least 10 singular and plural nouns. Write down their respective plural and singular forms

The Colonel decided to make a detour and go through the woods. The Colonel had ten scouts with him. As the Advisor he had to make the best decisions. The other alternatives were not accepted. He knew they would find many species: mosquitoes, deer and fish. This was no ordinary journey. They had to get back to the tents- back to camp. He was making a video to present evidence of the events. The situation would be questioned and discussed. At last they saw the cliff. They all walked to the edge. They had finally arrived. Down there was the camp!

* CREATIVE AND EMPOWERMENT SECTION

ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!* www.funbrain.com/funbrain/plurals* web2.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/plural.htm* web.2.uvcs.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/irrplu.htm* www.einfoweb.com/grammar/nouns/ip.html* www.einfoweb.com/grammar/nouns/worksheets/answers* www.gsu.edu/eslhpb/aegweb/exercises/x9/x9-A/x9-A.htm* www.engl.virginia.edu./OE/OEA/nouns.html* Webster.commnet.edu/grammar/nouns.htm* www.collegeem.gc.ca/cemdept/anglais/plurals.htm* http://www.english-zone.com/spellingplurals.html* www.-englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/plural1.htm* www.kidsdomain.com/down/pe/lfspellitright.html* www.english-zone.com/spelling/1endings.html* café.rapidus.net/anlgagne/plural/plural/html* www.stufun.com/grammar* www.lovetolearnplace.com/Grammar/singular&pluralnouns.ht

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