The plural forms of certain nouns certainly lead the pack here.
The most usual way of converting a noun from its singular form to its plural is by appending the former with 's', but there are plenty of other ways as well.
Before we set out to explore this territory, it must be kept in mind that, English or for that matter any language can be learnt thoroughly only through repeated exposure and usage. Hence we must aim to use the plurals in their correct form, in general speaking as well.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
s:
Mountain: Mountains
River: Rivers
---------------------------------------------------------------------
es: Nouns ending with o, ch, sh, ss, x
Tomato: Tomatoes
Brush: Brushes
Kiss: Kisses
But words with foreign origin, ending with 'O', add 's' only
Dynamo: Dynamos and not dynamoes
Kimono: Kimonos
Piano: Pianos
Kimono: Kimonoes
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ies: Nouns ending in 'y', following a consonant sound,
form their plural by dropping the 'y' and 'ies'.
baby: babies
fly: flies
country: countries
Nouns ending in 'y', following a vowel sound,
form their plural by adding 's'.
boy: boys
donkey: donkeys
guy: guys.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ves:-
Calf: calves
Half: halves
Self: selves
life: lives
knife: knives
wolf: wolves
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A few nouns form their plural by a vowel change:-
foot: feet
mouse: mice
goose: geese
louse: lice
man: men
tooth: teeth
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Some nouns don't change when pluralised:-
Aircraft: Aircraft
Deer: Deer
Fish: Fish
Counsel: Counsel
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Some nouns are used only in their plural form:-
Where are my trousers\scissors\shoes\glasses\pants\compasses ?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Certain collective nouns, though singular in form, are always used in plural:-
Poultry: (Domestic fowls, such as chicken)
These poultry are mine.
Cattle:-
Who are these cattle ?
Vermin (animals considered dangerous for crops)
Vermin destroy our property and carry diseases.
Gentry:
There are a few gentry in this town.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
More to follow,
Till Next time,
Good Bye and Take Care,
Ashish Mishra
No comments:
Post a Comment