LESSON XV.
Which form of the following words denotes one thing, and which more than one thing?—
| pen, | slate, | church, | city, | tooth, | ||
| pens, | slates, | churches, | cities, | teeth. |
The form of a word which names one thing is called singular, and the noun is said to be in the singular number. The form of a word which names more than one thing is called plural, and the noun is said to be in the plural number.
1. The plural is generally formed by adding s to the singular form; as pin, pins; book, books.
2. Some nouns form the plural by adding es to the singular form; as, match, matches; tax, taxes.
Note the following words:—fox, bush, glass, loss, hero, negro, cargo, echo, potato, tomato.
3. Nouns ending in y preceded by a vowel, form the plural by adding s to the singular form; as, day, days; valley, valleys.
Nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant, form the plural by changing the y into i and adding es; as, lily, lilies; copy, copies.
4. Some nouns ending in f or fe form the plural by changing f or fe to v and adding es; as, knife, knives.
Note the following:—wife, life, wolf, loaf, half, leaf, thief, shelf, calf, self.
5. A few nouns form the plural by adding en to the singular form; as, ox, oxen; child, children; brother, brethren.
6. Some nouns form the plural by changing the vowel of the singular; as, man, men; goose, geese.
7. Most nouns taken from foreign languages retain their foreign plurals:
| Singular. | Plural. | ||
| radius, | radii. | ||
| beau, | beaux. | ||
| analysis, | analyses. | ||
| index, | indices. | ||
| axis, | axes. | ||
| basis, | bases. | ||
| seraph, | seraphim. | ||
| memorandum, | memoranda. | ||
| phenomenon, | phenomena. | ||
| crisis, | crises. | ||
| erratum, | errata. | ||
| stratum, | strata. | ||
| oasis, | oases. | ||
| cherub, | cherubim. |
8. Some compound nouns make the principal word plural, and some make both words plural; as, son-in-law, sons-in-law; man-servant, men-servants.
EXERCISE.
Write the plural of the following nouns:—
| 1. | desk, woman, calf, foot, mouse, class. | |
| 2. | cargo, piano, sky, toy, crisis, potato. | |
| 3. | story, church, enemy, spoonful, chimney. | |
| 4. | lily, valley, mother-in-law, wolf, pencil. | |
| 5. | memorandum, sheaf, child, man-of-war. |