Problem with Singular and Plural Nouns

- Identifying Singular and Plural Nouns

Forming Plural Noun Table

Forming Plurals Singular Plural
camera cameras
a. Most nouns take S at the end of their singular forms.
lesson lessons
potato potatoes
b. If the noun ends in S, Z, CH, SH, O, SS, or X, we add ES. pass passes
tax taxes
radio radios
* EXCEPTIONS.
photo photos
knife knives
wife wives
c. If the noun ends in F or Fe, change F or FE to V, and add - ES.
thief thieves
shelf shelves
fly flies
d. If the noun ends in Y preceded by a consonant, change Y to I; and baby babies
add -ES(ies) country countries
city cities
child children
foot feet
e. Some nouns have irregular plural forms tooth teeth
man men
sheep sheep

Non-Singular/Plural Form Nouns

Singular Plural No Singular Form No Plural Form

pencil pencils cattle news
car cars trousers information
city cities scissors measles
woman women pliers furniture
book books police baggage
dictionary dictionaries glasses advice
lesson lessons pants knowledge
foot feet shorts rubbish
Quantifying words
Singular Plural
a/an .... many ...
single ... several ...
each ... a lot of ...
every ... all ...
some ...

- Identifying Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Countable (or count) nouns are words which can be counted.

They have a singular form and a plural form. They usually
refer to things. Most countable nouns become plural by
adding an s at the end of the word.

For example:

Singular Plural
chair chairs
bottle bottles
student students

Uncountable (or non-count) nouns are words which cannot

be counted. Therefore, they only have a singular form. They
have no plural forms. These words are thought of as wholes
rather than as parts. They usually refer to abstractions (such
as confidence or advice) or collectives (such as equipment or
luggage).
For example:

Singular
money
furniture
information

Using Countable & Uncountable Nouns

When using countable or uncountable nouns, pay attention

to articles and adjectives! Some articles and adjectives can be
used with both countable and uncountable nouns. However,
others can be used with only countable or only uncountable
nouns.

Used with Countable Nouns Only

a a doctor, a pen, a meal, a class, a college

many cups, many books, many libraries, many

many
flights

few questions, few tables, few apples, few

few
holidays, few countries

a few questions, a few problems, a few issues, a

a few
few issues
 Used with Uncountable Nouns Only

much money, much time, much food, much

much
water, much energy

little trouble, little equipment, little meat,

little
little patience

a little bit of confidence, a little bit of sleep, a

a little bit of
little bit of snow

List of Uncountable Nouns (These are sample uncountable

nouns only! There are many more.)
General

homework
equipment
luggage
clothing
furniture
machinery
gold
silver
cotton
glass
jewelry
perfume
soap
paper
wood
petrol
 gasoline
baggage
hair
traffic

Abstract

advice
help
fun
recreation
enjoyment
information
knowledge
news
patience
happiness
progress
confidence
courage
education
intelligence
space
energy
laughter
peace
pride

Food

food
flour
 meat
rice
cake
bread
ice cream
cheese
toast
pasta
spaghetti
butter
oil
honey
soup
fish
fruit
salt
tea
coffee

Weather

thunder
lightning
snow
rain
sleet
ice
heat
humidity
hail
wind
light
 darkness

Languages

English
Portuguese
Hindi
Arabic
Japanese
Korean
Spanish
French
Russian
Italian
Hebrew
Chinese

Subjects/Fields

mathematics
economics
physics
ethics
civics
art
architecture
music
photography
grammar
chemistry
history
commerce
 engineering
politics
sociology
psychology
vocabulary
archaeology
poetry

Sports

golf
tennis
baseball
basketball
soccer
football
cricket
hockey
rugby
chess
poker
bridge

Activities

swimming
walking
driving
jogging
reading
writing
listening
 speaking
cooking
sleeping
studying
working

- Identifying Person-Noun and Thing-Noun

Some English Noun Suffixes

The following four lists provide examples of some common
names for people in English created through suffixation
organized by suffix. Note that unlike the -er, -or, and -ar
agent suffixes that attach to verbs, the -ist, -ian, -ess, and -ar
/-er/-eur/-ier/-or/-ur suffixes primarily attach to other nouns.
-ist
art artist

chemistry chemist

dentistry dentist

guitar guitarist

journal journalist

linguistics linguist

lobby lobbyist

novel novelist

nutrition nutritionist

orthodontia orthodontist

optometry optometrist

pharmacy pharmacist

philanthropy philanthropist

piano pianist
 psychiatry psychiatrist
psychology psychologist

racism racist

reception receptionist

science scientist

therapy therapist

-ian
beauty beautician

comedy comedian

electricity electrician

grammar grammarian

guard guardian

history historian

library librarian

magic magician

mathematics mathematician

music musician

obstetrics obstetrician

pediatrics pediatrician

physic physician

politics politician

rhetoric rhetorician

statistics statistician

surgery surgeon*

technical technician

vegetable vegetarian

veterinary veterinarian

*The suffix for surgeon is spelled -eon but pronounced the

same as the -ian suffix.
Noun Suffixes

-age (Noun suffix)

Meaning: relating to; relationship
Examples of Use: adage; homage
-an, ian (Noun suffix)
Meaning: belonging to ; concerned with
Examples of Use: American; agrarian; electrician
-ant, ent (Noun suffix)
Meaning: agency or instrumentality
Examples of Use: servant; agent
-ate (Noun suffix)
Meaning: office or function
Examples of Use: mandate; consulate
-action, ition (Noun suffix)
Meaning: act or state of
Examples of Use: education, recognition
-ese (Noun suffix)
Meaning: of; relating to
Examples of Use: Chinese; journalese
-ine (Noun suffix)
Meaning: procedure; art
Examples of Use: medicine; discipline
-ite (Noun suffix)
Meaning: native or citizen of
Examples of Use: urbanite; Brooklynite
-ity (Noun suffix)
Meaning: state of being
Examples of Use: paucity; sagacity
-oid (Noun suffix)
Meaning: something like
Examples of Use: anthropoid; alkaloid
-or (Noun suffix)
Meaning: state or quality; agent or doer
Examples of Use: ardor; candor; aviator; auditor
-ory (Noun suffix)
Meaning: a place of; serving for
Examples of Use: dormitory; ambulatory
-tude (Noun suffix)
Meaning: that which is
Examples of Use: certitude; beatitude
-ure (Noun suffix)
Meaning: process, being
Examples of Use: creature; ,
Problem with Pronouns