8.3: Text: Nouns
- Page ID
- 59469
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Nouns are a diverse group of words, and they are very common in English. Nouns are a category of words defining things—the name of people (Dr. Sanders, lawyers), places (Kansas, factory, home), things (scissors, sheet music, book), or ideas (love, truth, beauty, intelligence).
Identifying Nouns
Let’s look at the following examples to get a better idea of how nouns work in sentences. All of the nouns have been bolded in blue:
- The one experiment that has been given the most attention in the debate on saccharin is the 1977 Canadian study done on rats.
- The multi-fuel capacity of the Stirling engine gives it a versatility not possible in the internal combustion engine.
- The regenerative cooling cycle in the engines of the Space Shuttle is made up of high pressure hydrogen that flows in tubes connecting the nozzle and the combustion chamber.
There are a lot of different categories of nouns, but before we get in too deep, let’s talk about pluralization.
Pluralization
A plural noun indicates that there is more than one of that noun (while a singular noun indicates that there is just one of the noun). Most plural forms are created by simply adding an -s or –es to the end of the singular word. For example, there’s one dog (singular), but three dogs (plural). However, English has both regular and irregular plural nouns. Regular plurals follow this rule (and other similar rules), but irregular plurals are, well, not regular and don’t follow a “standard” rule.
Regular Plurals
Let’s start with regular plurals: regular plural nouns use established patterns to indicate there is more than one of a thing. As was mentioned earlier, we add the plural suffix –s to most words (cats, bears, zebras). However, after sounds s, z, sh, ch, and j, we add the plural suffix –es (classes, sashes, foxes). Some words that end in z also double their ending consonant, like quizzes.
We also add the plural suffix –es to most words that end in o (potatoes, heroes, mosquitoes). However, when the words have a foreign origin (e.g.,Latin, Greek, Spanish), we just add the plural suffix –s (tacos, avocados, maestros).
Practice
Look at each plural word in the table below. Write the singular version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:
- vultures is the plural of vulture. Despite vultures ending in –es, you simply add an –s to form the plural, as the e is a part of the singular word.
trees | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | sopranos | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | watches | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] |
tomatoes | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | waltzes | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | wrists | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] |
[reveal-answer q=”633086″]Show Answer[/reveal-answer]
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trees | trees is the plural of trees. –s is added | sopranos | sopranos is the plural of soprano. –s is added despite the word ending in an o, because the word is borrowed from Italian | watches | watches is the plural of watch. –es is added because the word ends in ch |
tomatoes | tomatoes is the plural of tomato. –es is added because it’s a native English word | waltzes | waltzes is the plural of waltz. –es is added because the word ends in z | wrists | wrists is the plural of wrist. –s is added |
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When a word ends in y and there is a consonant before y, we change the y to i and add –es. Thus sky becomes skies. When a word ends in –f or –fe, we change the f to v and add –es. Thus calf becomes calves.
However, there are some exceptions to these rules:
- donkeys not donkeies; alloys not alloies.
- If the y follows another vowel, you simply add an –s.
- cliffs not clivves; chiefs not chieves
- If there are two terminal fs, you simply add an –s.
- If you still pronounce the f in the plural, then the spelling should retain the f as well.
Practice
Look at each plural word in the table below. Write the singular version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:
- fries is the plural of fry. To form the plural, the y was changed to an i, and we added –es.
reefs | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | leaves | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | flies | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] |
cafes | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | caves | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | boys | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] |
[reveal-answer q=”633087″]Show Answer[/reveal-answer]
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reefs | reefs is the plural of reef. –s is added. It is an exception to the rule. | leaves | leaves is the plural of leaf. the f is changed to a v, and -es is added | flies | flies is the plural of fly. the y is changed to an i, and –es is added |
cafes | cafes is the plural of cafe. the –s is added (note that cafe is sometimes spelled with an accent mark: café) | caves | caves is the plural of cave. the –s is added | boys | boys is the plural of boy. –s is added because the y follows a vowel |
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Irregular Plurals
Irregular plurals, unlike regular plurals, don’t necessarily follow any particular pattern—instead, they follow a lot of different patterns. Because of this, irregular plurals require a lot of memorization; you need to remember which nouns belong to which type of pluralization. Mastering irregulars uses a different region of your brain than regular pluralization: it’s an entirely different skill set than regular pluralization. So don’t get too frustrated if you can’t remember the correct plural. If you’re ever in doubt, the dictionary is there for you.
The first kind of irregular plural we’ll talk about is the no-change or base plural. In these words, the singular noun has the exact same form as the plural (sheep, fish, deer, moose). Most no-change plurals are types of animals. The next type of irregular is the mid-word vowel change:
And last we have plural –en. In these words –en is used as the plural ending instead of –s or -es.
- child → children
- ox → oxen
- brother → brethren
- sister → sistren
Practice
Look at each plural word in the table below. Write the singular version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:
- oxen is the plural of ox. This is an –en noun. To form the plural, an -en was added.
children | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | moose | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | teeth | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] |
squid | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | men | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | lice | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] |
[reveal-answer q=”245006″]Show Answer[/reveal-answer]
[hidden-answer a=”245006″]
children | children is the plural of child. This is an –en noun. To form the plural, an –ren was added. | moose | moose is the plural of moose. This is a no-change plural. The singular and plural have the same form. | teeth | teeth is the plural of tooth. This is a mid-word vowel change plural. The oo in tooth was changed to an ee. |
squid | squid is the plural of squid. This is a no-change plural. The singular and plural have the same form. | men | men is the plural of man. This is a mid-word vowel change plural. The a in man was changed to an e. | lice | lice is the plural of louse. This is a mid-word vowel change plural. The ouse in louse was changed to an ice. |
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The last category of irregular plurals is borrowed words. These words are native to other languages (e.g., Latin, Greek) and have retained the pluralization rules from their original tongue.
Singular –us; Plural –i
- cactus → cacti
- fungus → fungi
- syllabus → syllabi
In informal speech, cactuses and funguses are acceptable. Octopuses is preferred to octopi, but octopi is an accepted word.
Singular -a; Plural –ae
- formula → formulae (sometimes formulas)
- vertebra → vertebrae
- larva → larvae
Singular –ix, –ex; Plural –ices, –es
- appendix → appendices (sometimes appendixes)
- index → indices
Singular –on, –um; Plural –a
- criterion → criteria
- bacterium → bacteria
- medium → media
Singular –is; Plural –es
- analysis → analyses
- crisis → crises
- thesis → theses
Practice
Look at each plural word in the table below. Write the singular version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:
- stimuli is the plural of stimulus. The singular ends with a -us, so the plural ends with an -i.
memoranda | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | hypotheses | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | phenomena | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] |
parentheses | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | emphases | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | nuclei | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] |
foci | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | vertebrae | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] | appendices | [practice-area rows=”1″][/practice-area] |
[reveal-answer q=”245005″]Show Answer[/reveal-answer]
[hidden-answer a=”245005″]
memoranda | memoranda is the plural of memorandum. The singular ends with –um, so the plural ends with –a. | hypotheses | hypotheses is the plural of hypothesis. The singular ends with –is, so the plural ends with –es. | phenomena | phenomena is the plural of phenomenon. The singular ends with –on, so the plural ends with –a. |
parentheses | parentheses is the plural of parenthesis. The singular ends with –is, so the plural ends with –es. | emphases | emphases is the plural of emphasis. The singular ends with –is, so the plural ends with –es. | nuclei | nuclei is the plural of nucleus. The singular ends with –us, so the plural ends with –i. |
foci | foci is the plural of focus. The singular ends with –us, so the plural ends with –i. focuses is also an acceptable plural | vertebrae | vertebrae is the plural of vertebra. The singular ends with –a, so the plural ends with –ae. | appendices | appendices is the plural of appendix. The singular ends with –ix, so the plural ends with –ices. |
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- Text: Pluralization. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Nouns, Parts of speech and other sentence elements. Authored by: David McMurrey. Located at: https://www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/twsent.html#noun. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Irregular plural nouns - the MUTANT PLURALS. Authored by: David Rheinstrom. Provided by: Khan Academy. Located at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/grammar/partsofspeech/grammar-nouns/v/irregular-plural-nouns-part-iv-the-parts-of-speech-grammar. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
- Image of two men. Authored by: Gregor Cresnar. Provided by: The Noun Project. Located at: https://thenounproject.com/search/?q=people&i=176708. License: CC BY: Attribution