Unit 17 (grammar)
Plurals
To form the plural of a noun, we usually add –s to the singular:
Cat – cats, day – days, chair-chairs
· Noun ending in –o, -ch, - sh, -ss or –x added –es:
Tomato-tomatoes, church- churches, brush-brushes, kiss-kisses, box-boxes
BUT: kilo-kilos
Kimono- kimonos
Photo- photos
Piano –pianos
· Nouns ending in consonant + -y drop the –y and add –ies:
Baby-babies, country-countries, lady –ladies
· Nouns ending in vowel + -y add –s:
Boys – boys, donkey –donkeys
· Nouns ending in –f or fe drop the f or fe and add –ves:
Calf-calves, half-halves, knife-knives, leaf-leaves
Life-lives, loaf-loaves, self-selves, sheaf-sheaves
Shelf-shelves, thief- thieves, wife-wives, wolf-wolves
BUT: hoof, scarf, wharf, add either –s or –ves in the plural:
Hoof-hoofs/hooves, scarf- scarfs/ scarves
Other nouns ending in –f or fe add –s:
Cliff-cliffs, handkerchief-handkerchiefs, belief- beliefs, roof- roofs
· Irregular plurals:
Man-men, woman- women, child-children, foot- feet, goose-geese, louse-lice, mouse-mice, tooth-teeth, ox-oxen, deer-deer, sheep-sheep
· Certain nouns are always plural and take a plural verb:
Clothes, police, trousers, pyjamas, binoculars, scales, scissors, spectacles, arms (weapons), damages (compensation), earnings, greens (vegetables), grounds, out-skirts, savings, stairs, surroundings, valuables, etc
· Some nouns of Greek or Latin origin form their plurals according to the rules of Greek or Latin: crisis-crises, basis- bases, phenomenon- phenomena, datum- data, terminus- termini, medium- media
· Compound nouns normally add –s to the last word:
Boyfriend- boyfriends (noun +noun)
Travel agent – travel agents (noun +noun)
Frying pan- frying pans (adjective +noun)
BUT they add –s to the first word, when the compound noun is composed of noun + preposition (+noun): mother-in-law – mothers-in-law, passer-by – passers-by
Clauses of reason and result
Clauses of reason are introduced by: as, since (=because), because, for (=because).
e.g. they travelled by train because it was cheaper.
We camped near the lake as it was safer.
When the clause of reason precedes the main clause, we separate the two clauses with a comma.
e.g. since she isn’t coming. We’ll go to the party without her.
Reason can also be expressed with:
Because of/Due to + noun/ -ing form
e.g. Due to the fog, all plane departures have been cancelled. Or with: due to the fact/ because of the fact + that- clause
e.g. Due to the fact that there was fog, all plane departures were cancelled.
Clauses of result are introduced by: such + adjective +noun
e.g. it was such a boring lecture that we almost fell asleep.
I’ve never met such interesting people before.
Or so + adjective/adverb
e.g. the lecture was so boring that we almost fell asleep.
She was running so quickly that she tripped and fell.
Too - enough
Too+ adjective/ adverb
(negative meaning)
He’s too tired to go out.
(he’s so tired that he can’t go out)
Adjective/ adverb + enough
(positive meaning)
He’s tall enough to reach the shelf.
(he’s so tall that he can reach the shelf)
NOTE: enough can be followed by nouns. E.g. he’s got enough money to buy a car.
ALL – WHOLE – BOTH – NEITHER – NONE
All refers to more than two people or things. It has a positive meaning and takes a verb in the plural. E.g. all the students took part in the school performance. All of them worked very hard. They were all very satisfied.
Whole (=complete) is used with singular countables. We always use a, the, this, my etc. + whole + countables the whole day = all the day/all day (But: all the money not the whole money)
Both refers to two people or things. It has a positive meaning and takes a verb in the plural. It is the opposite of neither/ not either. E.g. sally and Laura are twelve. Both Sally and Laura are twelve. They are both twelve. Both of them are twelve.
None refers to more than two people or things. It has a negative meaning and isn’t followed by a noun. None of can be used with nouns, his, them etc. followed by a verb either in the singular or plural. It is the opposite of all. E.g. sally, Laura and Ann haven’t been to Rome. None of them have/has been in Rome.
Neither (=not one and not the other) is used before singular countables. They refer to two people or things.neither of takes a verb either in the singular or plural. E.g. Paul hasn’t got any money. Tom hasn’t got any money either. Neither of them have/has got any money.