Rules and Tips While Using Nouns:
As simple as nouns may seem, there are certain rules that need to be followed for the use of nouns in sentences.
Rule 1: Some nouns always exist in plural forms. Thus‘s’ cannot be removed from them to make them singular words.
For example: tongs, scissors, trousers, troops, gallops.
- I have bought a pair of earrings.
- My mother uses tongs while making chapattis.
Rule 2: There are certain words that despite being in the plural form are treated like singular words. These words take the help of singular helping verbs.
For example: news, mathematics, athletics, politics, and physics, to name a few.
- Athletics is a field chosen only by the few people.
- Physics is a very boring subject.
Rule 3: There are certain words which seem plural in meaning but are singular in the form. They take the help of plural verb.
For example: cattle, infantry, children and police.
- The cattle are grazing in the field.
- The children are playing in the ground.
Rule 4: Uncountable nouns take the help of singular verbs. Uncountable nouns are always used as singular form.
For example: pottery, percentage, news, dirt, dust, traffic, music etc.
- She has colored her hair red.
- The scenery of Srinagar has captivated us.
Rule 5: There are few words that are treated the same irrespective of their singular or plural form.
For example: crew, family, team, jury, carp, aircraft, swine, counsel etc.
- A sheep is sleeping.
- Two sheep are sleeping.
Rule 6: If a definite numeral adjective is added before the noun, they will assume the singular form.
For example: pair, score, million, trillion, dozen etc.
- She has five hundred rupees only.
- Mr. Mehta donated two million rupees to the NGO.
Rule 7: If there is a preposition between two same nouns, then the noun should take the singular form.
For example:
- Child after child was arriving.
Rule 8: There are few words which are used for male and female both. These are called dual genders. So words like his, him, he are to be used.
- Every student was doing his own task individually.
- The teacher must treat all his students equally.
Plural Noun Rules:
1. Add ‘
S’ to make normal nouns plural.
For example:
2. To make a singular noun ending with ‘
s’, ‘
ss, ‘
ch’, ’
x’ or ‘
z’ plural add ‘
es’ to it.
For example:
- Kiss- Kisses
- Boss- Bosses
3. Some words that end with ‘
s’ or ‘
z’, require that the writer must double the ‘
s’ or ‘
z’ and include ‘
es‘ to make it plural.
For example:
- Quiz- Quizzes
- Gas- Gasses
4. Words ending with ‘
f’ or ‘
fe’ must be changed to ‘
ve’ before making them plural form.
For example:
- Wolf- Wolves
- Half- Halves
Exceptions:
1. If a word ending with ‘
y’ and the letter prior to '
y' is a consonant, then ‘
ies’ should be added to make it plural.
For example:
- Marry- Marries
- Fancy- Fancies
2. If a word ends with '
y' and the letter prior to it is a vowel, then it can be made plural by adding ‘
s’.
- Portray- Portrays
- Pray- Prays
3. If a word ends with ‘
o’ add ‘
es’ to make it plural.
For example:
- Do- Does
- Volcano- Volcanoes
4. If a word ends with ‘
us’, it can be made plural by adding just ‘
I’.
For example:
- Syllabus- Syllabi
- Bronchus- Bronchi
5. A word ending in ‘
is’ can be made plural by adding ‘
es’.
For example:
6. If a word ends in ‘
on’, it can be made plural by adding ‘
a’ to it.
For example:
7. Some words remain the same irrespective of singular or plural form.
For example:
Rules for Irregular Nouns:
There are no set rules for irregular nouns. So just memorize these for their usage.
Hope you understood the topic and enjoy using nouns in your everyday life.