PRACTICE WITH NOUNS
Ask yourself these questions when checking nouns.
What kind of noun is it? Is it a count or non-count?
Countable nouns can have singular or plural forms and take singular or plural verbs. You can put a number before this kind of noun and a / an.
You are a student involved in job-hunting.
Usually the employer asks you to fill out an application.
In most of the lines there is one wrong word.
Noncount nouns refer to general things such as qualities, substances, or topics. They cannot be counted and have only a singular form. We do not normally use a/an or a number directly before uncountable nouns.
It’s common knowledge that there are often difficulties and conflict.
Full employment is a national economic goal.
2. Is there a quantifier [1] with the noun that can be used to identify the nature of the noun?
a. Some quantifiers are used with both plural count nouns and noncount nouns.
| all | a lot of | most |
| any | plenty of | some |
| enough | more | lots of |
Ask them whether they know of any job openings.
Any information about the applicant will be welcome.
There was enough room for four clerks in the office.
We've got enough problems with the application form.
b. Some quantifiers are used only with noncount nouns.
A little much a large / small amount of a bit of
There was too much work and not enough people to do it.
The total amount of work to be done in firm must be divided into jobs.
c. Some quantifiers are used only with plural count nouns.
| both | a few | a couple of | the majority of/a majority of |
| many | several | a number of | dozens of/hundreds of |
The work of a farmer and a nurse are different, but both activities are measurable in payment received.
In the 18th century a number of large factories were founded.
The majority of working women are in low-paid jobs.
d. Some quantifiers are used only with singular count nouns.
Another each every
Later young people learn another lesson.
He was fired because he was late to work every day.
Nouns not normally countable in English
| accommodation | countryside | hair[2] | machinery | safety |
| advice | courage | happiness | meat | scenery |
| assistance | cutlery | harm | money | shopping |
| baggage | damage | help | mud | smoking |
| behavior | dancing | homework | music | spelling |
| bread | education | hospitality | news | strength |
| business[3] | equipment | information | nonsense | stuff |
| capital[4] | evidence | jealousy | parking | timber |
| cash | food | jewelry | permission | traffic |
| chaos | fruit | knowledge | poetry | transport |
| chess | fun | laughter | post/mail[5] | travel |
| china | furniture | leisure | produce | underwear[6] |
| clothing | garbage | linen | progress | wealth |
| conduct | gossip | luck | room[7] | weather |
| cookery | grass | luggage | rubbish | work[8] |
Is the form of a noun correct?
The plural form for most nouns has an - s or (after -o;-s;-x;-ch;-sh) -es ending.
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a. Some nouns form their plurals with a vowel change or an ending change (man/men). Penny can have a regular plural pennies when we are referring to separate coins (ten pennies) or a collective plural, pence, when we are referring to a total amount (ten pence).
Note the following nouns, which have irregular plural:
| Singular | Plural | |
| analysis | анализ (разбор) | analyses |
| bacterium | бактерия | bacteria |
| basis | базис | bases |
| bureau [bjuə'rəu] | бюро, отдел, управление, комитет | bureaus/bureaux |
| ′caput | голова (на душу населения) | capita (per capita) |
| crisis | кризис | crises |
| criterion | критерий | criteria |
| curriculum | курс обучения, учебный план | curricula |
| datum | данная (величина) | data |
| formula | формула; формулировка; рецепт | formulae/ formulas |
| honorarium | гонорар | honoraria |
| medium | средство | media |
| memorandum | меморандум | memoranda |
| phenomenon | явление | phenomena |
| précis ['preɪsi:] | краткое изложение, конспект, резюме | précis ['preɪsi:z] |
| sanatorium | санаторий | sanatoria |
| synopsis [sɪ'nɔpsɪs] | конспект, краткий обзор; синóпсис | synopses [sɪ'nɔpsi:z] |
| stratum | слой (общества) | strata |
| trivium | пустяк, мелочь | trivia |
b. Some nouns form their plurals by changing a consonant before adding - s or - es, (wolf – wolves; leaf – leaves; wife – wives)or by changing -y into - ies (country – countries); except -ay,-ey, -oy, -uy (boy - boys)
c. Some nouns form their plurals by adding an ending.
(child – children, ox - oxen)
d. Some have the same plural and singular forms.
| bison | deer | offspring | series | means (средство) |
| corps | fish | spacecraft | species | works (завод) |
§ Exports, imports (количество или стоимость вывезенных или ввезенных товаров) take a plural verb but export, import (процесс ввоза или вывоза) are singular.
§ Note that dozen and score have the same plural and singular form if they go after the numeral: two dozen (of) eggs, three score (of) years (but scores / dozens of people)
e. When a noun is used as an adjective, it takes a singular form.
An application form may contain two or even more pages. (noun)
This is a two-page application form.
We also use ’s with (or s’ with plural words) periods of time.
I’ve got a week’s / three weeks’ sick leave.
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f. Collective nouns (crowd, firm, team, group, etc.) refer to an entire group. When these are groups of people we often think of them as a number of people (=”they”), not as one thing (=”it”). So we often use a plural verb:
The staff at the firm (=they) are not happy with outside consultants.
When a collective noun indicates a period of time, a sum of money, or a measurement, it takes a singular verb.
Two weeks is enough time to provide the synopsis.
Ten dollars is not enough to meet the daily needs of a family.
g. Some nouns end in - s but are actually singular and take singular verbs: economics, statistics, politics ( academic subjects ); news.
Statistics is a branch of mathematics dealing with the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization of data.
But when the reference is specific, the verb must be plural.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (статистические данные) satisfy a number of criteria.
Nouns like crossroads, headquarters, kennels, series, species, works (=factory) are singular when they refer to one:
John has just read a series of articles about motivation.
They are plural when they refer to more than one:
There are a lot of TV series about workplace relationship.
h. Many compound nouns are formed by using one noun (as an adjective) in front of another noun. When this happens, the first noun is almost always singular (even if the meaning is plural).
a shoeshop (a shop which sells shoes)
We normally form plurals of compound nouns by adding -(e)s to the second word.
Foodstuffs belong to the category of perishable goods.
But note that compounds ending in - in-law, -in-chief and -by add -s to the first word.
one brother-in-law - two-brothers-in-law
a passer-by - some passers-by
editor-in-chief - editors-in-chief
But where men or women is prefixed both parts are made plural.
men-managers women-interviewers
i. Goods (товар), clothes (одежда), riches (богатство), proceeds (выручка), wages (заработная плата), contents (содержание) normally[9]occur only in the plural and are followed by a plural verb.
The contents of the talks were made public.
The wages employees receive become the money they spend as consumers.
j. We use only plural verbs with nouns people, the police, note that peoples means “national populations”.
Ancient peoples attributed magic properties to certain stones
The police are the official organization that is responsible for making sure that people obey the law.
Exercise 1