Grammar – Numbers

Numbers
Number in English is a grammatical category of verbs, nouns, pronouns and adjectives that denotes count distinctions. There are two number categories.
1. Singular Number
2. Plural Number
Examples:
Category
Singular
Plural
Verbs
Is, am, was, has, he works, I write.
Are, have, were, they work, we write.
Nouns
House, place, man, dog, idea.
Houses, places, men, dogs, ideas.
Pronouns
He, she, I, it, you.
They, you, we,
Adjectives
a, an, this, that,
These, those.
1. Singular Number: When a noun or pronoun denotes a single object, it is said to be Singular. For example: book, boy, plan, box, thing, mango, etc.< /o:p>
2. Plural Number: When a Noun or Pronoun denotes more than one object of the kind, it is said to be Plural. For example: books, boys, plans, boxes, things, mangoes, etc.
How to form the plural:
(a) Most of the nouns form their plural by adding (s) to the singular. For example: Pen – Pens, River- Rivers, Plan – Plans, file – Files, etc.
(b) Nouns that end in (s, ss, sh, ch, x and z) take (es) in plural. For example: bus – buses, ass – asses, bush – bushes, bench – benches, box – boxes, topaz – topazes, etc.
(c) Nouns that end in (y) preceded by a vowel, take (s) in plural. For example: boy – boys, joy – joys, key – keys, etc.
(d) Nouns that end in (y) preceded by a consonant, take (es) in plural and (y) is changed into (i). For example: city – cities, lady – ladies, malady – maladies, etc.
(e) Nouns that end in (f) or (fe), take (es) in plural and (f) or (fe) is changed into (v). For example: knife- knives, wife- wives, life – lives, calf- calves, etc.
But nouns that end in (ief, ff, oof,rf and eef), generally take only (s) in plural. For example: chief – chiefs, cliffs – cliffs, proof – proofs, dwarf – dwarfs, reef- reefs, etc.
Exceptions: thief – thieves, safe – safes, scarf – scarfs,
(f) Nouns that end in (o) preceded by a consonant, generally take (es) in the plural. For example: hero – heroes, mango – mangoes, volcano – volcanoes, etc.
Exceptions: bamboo – bamboos, photo – photos, manifesto – manifestos, piano – pianos, etc.
(g) Some nouns are changed into plural by changing the vowels. For example: man – men, goose – geese, mouse – mice, foot – feet, tooth – teeth, etc.
(h) Some nouns form their plural by adding (en/ ren). For example: child – children, ox – oxen, brother – brethren (also brothers), etc.
(i) Some nouns are in plural form but they are used in singular. For example: economics, physics, politics, whereabouts, news, gallows, etc.
(j) Some nouns are in singular form but they are used in plural. For example: people, folk, gentry, cattle, poultry, etc.
(k) Some nouns do not have singular forms. For example: fetters, billiards, ashes, assets, alms, bowels, measles, etc.
(l) Some nouns do not have plural forms. For example: luggage, furniture, expenditure, poetry, scenery, offspring, information, hair, alphabet, etc.
Mary has learnt the alphabet.
There are my offspring (children).
The reporter has got all the information.
Do you want to sell your luggage / furniture?
Did you comb your hair?
(m) Plural of compound nouns is generally formed by adding (s) to the important word. For example: brothers-in-law, commanders-in-chief, Governors- General, passers-by, on-lookers, etc.
Exceptions: mouthfuls, handfuls, pitfalls, waterfalls, etc.
(n) Plural of letters of the alphabet numbers are formed by adding (s). For example:
Dravir has hit three 4’s.

I require two MBA’s for my office.

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