THE NOUN

THE NOUN: 

THE NOUN

PLAN: 

PLAN classification plural form, particular cases of spelling the plural of compound nouns irregular ways of forming plural countable & uncountable nouns, partitives nouns with no singular (=always plural) nouns with no singular (=always plural) collective (group) nouns possessive case of nouns subject and verb agreement

classification: 

classification Proper and Common Nouns: London Spain the Nile Peter Smith a boy a house a river milk Common Nouns: nouns and collective nouns: a family, a crowd, police, a team Material Nouns: water, glass, silver, wool Abstract Nouns: honesty, darkness, winter Countable and Uncountable Nouns

plural form: 

plural form General rule: Noun + s \es The ending – s/ – es may be pronounced as: [ s ] after voiceless consonants (other than sibilants). E.g. [s] lam p – lamps boo k – books bath - baths [ z ] after voiced consonants (other than sibilants) & vowels. E.g. [z] be d – beds b ee – bees [ ız ] after sibilants (s, z,  , ʒ, t  , dʒ) E.g. [ız] ro s e – roses bri dg e – bridges

Slide 5: 

The ending – es is added to nouns ending in: sibilants E.g. bush – bush es box – box es horse – hors es “y” preceded by a consonant + “ y ” changes into “ i ” E.g. city – citi es BUT! monkey – monkey s 3. “o” preceded by a consonant E.g. hero – hero es potato – potato es

Slide 6: 

BUT! cuckoo – cuckoo s zoo – zoo s studio – studio s video – video s radio – radio s photo – photo s piano – piano s solo – solo s zero – zero s metro – metro kilo – kilo s auto – auto s tobacco – tobacco s NOTE! cargo < cargo es OR cargo s volcano < volcano es OR volcano s buffalo < buffalo es OR buffalo s mosquito < mosquito es OR mosquito s

Slide 7: 

“f”/ – “fe” changes into “ v ” E.g: knife – kniv es leaf – leav es thief – thiev es life – liv es calf – calv es elf – elv es BUT! roof – roo fs proof – proo fs belief – belie fs relief – relie fs chief – chie fs gulf – gulf s cliff – clif fs reef – reef s safe – safe s

Slide 8: 

NOTE! hoof < hoofs OR hoov es scarf < scarf s OR scarv es wharf < wharf s OR wharv es handkerchief < handkerchiefs OR handkerchieves The Plural of Compound Nouns As a rule, they change the Singular of the head word E.g. stepmother – step mothers passer–by – passers –by hotel-keeper – hotel- keepers son-in-law – sons -in-law editor-in-chief – editors -in-chief field-mouse – field- mice

Slide 9: 

a) If there is no head-word, the final element takes the Plural: E.g. lady-bird – lady- birds b) If there is no noun in the compound, –s/ – es is added to the last element: E.g. forget-me-not – forget-me- nots merry-go-round – merry-go- rounds break-down – break downs sit-in – sit- ins pick-up – pick- ups go-between – go- betweens If the first word of the compound is “man”/ ”woman”, both the words are used in the Plural: E.g. man-servant – men-servants woman-doctor – women-doctors

Slide 10: 

Irregular Ways of Forming Plural 1) ox – oxen foot – feet tooth – teeth goose – geese louse – lice 2) words borrowed from Latin and Greek: Latin: formul a – formul ae [ i: ] dat um – dat a [ q ] antenn a – antenn ae errat um – errat a radi us – radi i [ai] stimul us – stimul i cact us – cact i Greek: criteri on – criteri a [ q ] cris is – cris es [ i: ] phenomen on – phenomen a thes is - thes es

Slide 11: 

In some nouns the plural form does not differ from the singular: а) always unchanged: deer – deer cod – cod sheep – sheep swine – swine pike – pike grouse – grouse salmon – salmon trout – trout carp – carp moose – moose b) have both regular and unchanged Plural: antelope - antelope(s) reindeer - reindeer(s) flounder - flounder(s) herring - herring(s) fish - fish(es) fruit – fruits

Slide 12: 

Some nouns ending in –s(-ics) are usually singular ( and uncountable). а) – “s” news billiards draughts + some other games measles mumps rickets+ some other diseases b) – “ics” mathematics (or maths) physics electronics economics optics politics phonetics, etc athletics gymnastics+ some other activities

countable & uncountable nouns, partitives : 

countable & uncountable nouns, partitives Nouns can either countable or uncountable. CNs can be used with a\an before them or be used in the plural. # a cat three dogs UnNs are not used with a\an or in the plural. ‘Some’ is often used. # I want some meat for dinner. NB! # I prefer tea to coffee. / We need two teas. # The statue was made of stone. / I had a stone in my shoe. # She has long, wavy hair. / I have a hair in my soup.

Slide 14: 

For UcNs we use different partitives: equipment - a piece of equipment cheese - a slice / a piece of cheese luggage - a piece of luggage, a bag, a suitcase money - a note, a coin news - a piece of / an item of news advice - a piece of advice bread - a slice of bread, a loaf of bread milk – a carton of milk. coke – a can of coke yog(h)urt – a pot of yog(h)urt

Nouns With No Singular (=Always Plural) : 

Nouns With No Singular (=Always Plural) One thing has two parts: a) garments: trousers jeans tights shorts pants breeches leggings pyjamas b) tools: glasses spectacles goggles binoculars c) instruments: scissors shears tongs scales d) BUT! a glove – gloves a sock – socks Some other nouns: nouns which have a plural meaning : goods clothes people outskirts belongings greens stairs

Nouns With No Plural (=Always Singular): 

Nouns With No Plural (=Always Singular) 1. uncountable nouns: money (much money, little money, a little money) advice (a piece of advice) furniture (an item of furniture, a piece of furniture) knowledge information progress work (a piece of work, a job, jobs) hair (a hair, 2 hairs when countable) weather news (an item of news)

Slide 17: 

2. nouns of material: gold silver bread (a loaf of bread, a slice of bread) sugar (but different kinds (sorts) are wine called ”sugars”, “wines”) tea ( but thinking about helpings coffee we say: “2 teas”, “4 coffees ice-cream and 6 ice-creams”) paper (“a paper, papers” when countable)

collective (group) nouns: 

collective (group) nouns Nouns name people, places, and things. Collective nouns, a special class, name groups [things] composed of members [usually people]. army audience board council cabinet class committee company corporation crowd couple department faculty family firm group jury majority minority school senate society staff team

singular or plural? : 

singular or plural? Each noun from the list above is a single thing, unit. Because people behave as both herd animals and solitary creatures, collective nouns can be either singular or plural, depending on context. How do you tell if a collective noun is singular or plural?

Slide 20: 

Here is the key: Imagine a flock of pigeons pecking at birdseed on the ground. Suddenly, a cat races out of the bushes. What do the pigeons do? They fly off as a unit in an attempt to escape the predator, wheeling through the sky in the same direction. People often behave in the same manner, doing one thing in unison with the other members of their group . When these people are part of a collective noun, that noun becomes singular and requires singular verbs and pronouns . As you read the following examples, notice that all members of the collective noun are doing the same thing at the same time :

Slide 21: 

# Every afternoon the baseball team follow s its coach out to the hot field for practice. (All members of the team arrive at the same place at the same time.) # Today, Dr. Ribley's class take s its first 100-item exam. (All members of the class are testing at the same time.) # The jury agree s that the state prosecutors did not provide enough evidence, so its verdict is not guilty. (All members of the jury are thinking the same way.)

Slide 22: 

Now imagine three house cats in the living room. Are the cats doing the same thing at the same time? Not this group! One cat might be sleeping on top of the warm television. Another might be grooming on the sofa. A third animal might be perched on the windowsill, watching the world outside. There is one group of animals, but the members of that group are all doing their own thing. Members of collective nouns can behave in a similar fashion. When the members are acting as individuals , the collective noun is plural and requires plural verbs and pronouns . As you read these examples, notice that the members of the collective noun are not acting in unison :

Slide 23: 

# After the three-hour practice under the brutal sun, the team shower , change into their street clothes, and head to their air-conditioned homes. (The teammates are dressing into their individual outfits and leaving in different directions for their individual homes.) # After the long exam, the class start their research papers on famous mathematicians. (The students are beginning their own research papers – in different places, at different times, on different mathematicians.) # The jury disagree about the guilt of the accused and have told the judge that they are hopelessly deadlocked. (Not everyone on the jury is thinking the same way.)

possessive case: 

possessive case Rule № 1 : Add an apostrophe + s to most singular nouns and to plural nouns that do not end in s. # Singular nouns – kitten’s toy, Joe’s car # Plurals not ending in s – women’s dresses, sheep’s pasture, children’s toys Rule № 2 : Add an apostrophe only to plural nouns that already end in s. # companies’ workers horses’ stalls boys’ room Rule № 3 : Add the apostrophe + s to the end of the compound words or the last word in a hyphenated noun.

Slide 25: 

# My mother-in-law’s recipe for meatloaf is my husband’s favorite. Rule № 4: If two nouns share ownership, indicate possession only once, add the apostrophe + s to the second noun only. # These are Jack and Jill’s engagement rings . Rule № 5: To make the possessive form of names ending in –s, add either the apostrophe only or an apostrophe + s # It’s Derek Jones’ (or Derek Jones’s) car. Rule № 5: Add an apostrophe + s to nouns like world, country, city # London’s shops the city’s sights

Slide 26: 

Rule № 6: Add an apostrophe + s to nouns meaning time: # today’s news last Sunday’s paper next year’s holiday prices # ten-minutes’ break (a ten-minute break) two-weeks’ holiday (a two-week holiday) Rule № 7: Add an apostrophe + s to nouns meaning someone’s home, some shops and services # We’re going to Linda’s for the evening. (Linda’s home) I must go to the chemist’s this afternoon.

Slide 27: 

Rule № 8: Use the of + noun form: a) with an inanimate noun: the cover of the book b) when we talk about process or change over time: the destruction of the ozone layer c) when the noun is a long noun phrase: She is the sister of the man whom I work with. Rule № 9: one the one hand ► it can be more preferable to use a compound noun than ‘of + noun’, on the other hand ◄ the meaning can be different: Cf : ► the leg of the table (not the table’s leg) ◄ cat food ≠ cat’s food

subject and verb agreement: 

subject and verb agreement Use the verb in singular: a) with nouns like politics, maths, diabetes, draughts, etc . b) with every-, some-, any- need singular verb: # Everybody know s him well. c) with any of, each of, neither of, either of + a pl.noun: # Neither of them likes (or like) drawing. (2 variants) d) with the majority of, a lot of, plenty of, all (of), some (of) + UcN/singular noun : # All the furniture was destroyed. e) with amounts such as measurements, time, weights or money amounts: # Ten dollars is the entry fee. Three weeks is enough time for a nice holiday. # About 2 kilometers separates them.

Slide 29: 

Use the verb in plural: a) with nouns used in plural, take a plural verb: # These goods are exported to many countries. b) nouns police, people, staff always take plural: c) with the majority of, a number of, a lot of, plenty of, all (of), some (of) + a plural noun: # The number of students who study well is small. A number of students in his group get scholarship. d) with fractions or percents we need to have the verb agree with the object of the preposition that follows the subject. # Around 10 per cent of forest is destroyed every year. Three fourths of my salary goes to taxes.

Slide 30: 

Cf: # All of the book has been destroyed. # All of the books have been destroyed. But! # All of the money is in the bank. e) with neither …nor, either …or, not only …but + a plural noun Cf: # Neither the students nor the teacher is allowed to smoke here. # Either the teacher or the students have your book . # Not only the students but also the teacher smokes .