LanguageUndefined
Count nouns have two forms: singular and plural.
Singular count nouns refer to one person or thing:
a teacher | a book | a wish | an idea |
Plural count nouns refer to more than one person or thing:
teachers | books | wishes | ideas |
Singular count nouns
Singular count nouns cannot be used alone. They must have a determiner:
the English teacher | that book | a wish | my latest idea |
Singular count nouns 1Singular count nouns 2
Plural count nouns
We usually add –s to make a plural noun:
book | > | books |
school | > | schools |
friend | > | friends |
We add –es to nouns ending in –s, –ch, –sh, –ss, –x and –o:
class | > | classes |
watch | > | watches |
gas | > | gases |
wish | > | wishes |
box | > | boxes |
potato | > | potatoes |
When a noun ends in a consonant and –y, we make the plural with –ies:
lady | > | ladies |
country | > | countries |
party | > | parties |
If a noun ends in a vowel and –y, we simply add –s:
boy | > | boys |
day | > | days |
play | > | plays |
Some common nouns have irregular plurals:
man | > | men |
woman | > | women |
child | > | children |
person | > | people |
foot | > | feet |
Plural count nouns 1Plural count nouns 2
Plural count nouns do not have a general determiner when they refer to people or things in general:
Computers are very expensive.
Do you sell old books?
But they may have a specific determiner:
Those computers are very expensive.
The books in that shop are very expensive.
Her sisters live there.
or a quantifier:
some new books | a few teachers | lots of good ideas |
or a numeral:
two new books | three wishes |
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