Module on Module on NounsNouns

DRA. JEAN RODRIGUEZ DRA. JEAN RODRIGUEZ PAZOPAZO

Subject: Basic English Subject: Basic English

Area: GrammarArea: Grammar

Interamerican UniversityInteramerican UniversityGuayama CampusGuayama Campus

Proyecto Titulo V CoopertivoProyecto Titulo V CoopertivoImproving Academic Outcomes Through a Improving Academic Outcomes Through a

Technology-Based Consortium Program for the Core Technology-Based Consortium Program for the Core CurriculumCurriculum

OBJECTIVESCore Curriculum Objectives:

Through the study of this Module on Singular and Plural Nouns, students will be able to: recognize the singular and plural nouns correctly. know the different classes of singular and plural

nouns correctly. understand the singular and plural nouns and their

functions in sentences correctly. define singular and plural nouns correctly. apply the rules by changing singular nouns to plural

nouns and plural nouns to singular nouns correctly. apply the spelling rules correctly. use the nouns in sentence structures correctly.

OVERVIEW

Students will reinforce their knowledge of singular and plural nouns, applying all levels of critical thinking skills.• Focus Questions:

What is a noun?What is a noun?

What is a singular noun?What is a singular noun?

What is a plural noun? What is a plural noun?

How do we form plural nouns? How do we form plural nouns?

Are there special nouns?Are there special nouns?

TIME-FRAME Time-Frame:

• It will take approximately 50 minutes to complete the Module.

Resources: • Examples, rules, grammatical frames,

picture boxesAssessment:

• Pre- test, and post-test Criteria of evaluation:

• You must achieve 72% or more for mastery level.

Instructional Activities: • Skill-building exercisesCreative and Empowerment

SectionGo to other links and/or do further exercises.

Dear student,

Welcome to the basic study of nouns. This module will be devoted completely to the study of “singular and plural nouns”. Nouns are important in the learning of English, because as you will recall a complete thought; or sentence; is made up of a noun and a verb. Furthermore, nouns are usually the first words that all children learn. Since there is a diversity of meaning for nouns, the best way to approach the study of nouns is through their characteristics.

You will begin by taking a Pre-test. You must achieve a score of 72% or more to continue with the Assessment Exercises. Before beginning the Assessment Exercises the different Rules will be explained in a simple manner. Then, you may proceed with the exercises. Finally, you will take a Post-test. You must also achieve a score of 72 % in order to pass the Module. Last but not least, you will be provided with additional links you may use to continue reinforcing your skills and knowledge on singular and plural nouns.

PRE – TESTPart I. MULTIPLE CHOICE

• Read the following words carefully. The words are nouns. Then change them to their plural form by applying the rules and choosing the correct alternative.

1. infectiona) infectionesb) infectionsc) infectioniesd) infecctionnes

PRE – TEST2. cliff

a) clivesb) clifsc) cliffsd) Clivfes

3. companya) companyiesb) companiesc) companieesd) companys

4. monkeya) monkeysb) monkiesc) monkeyiesd) monkieys

5. taxa) taxiesb) texesc) taxsd) taxes

Part II. Identify

Read the following sentences. There may be more than one plural noun in each sentence. Only one of them is irregular or special. Write the irregular or special plural noun in each sentence.

1. Joe helped the children paint their toys.2. Are the sheep chasing the boys?3. Babies who are one month old usually do not have teeth.4. Always be careful of how you place knives on the tables.5. The boxes were ruined by the deer.6. The fish in the ponds were dying.7. The boys’ feet hurt from the hikes.8. Were the women ready for the raffles?9. The mice were hard to keep in the traps.10.People must be careful when they walk alone in the parks.

Part III. Change to pluralThe underlined noun in each sentence is spelled in its singular form. Write the correct plural form after each sentence. Be sure to apply the correct rule.

1. She wanted a few kiss from her boyfriend.2. There were too many tomato in the boxes.3. The Super hero were in the film.4. That man has had three wife.5. Where did the thief hide the money?

Part IV. Exercise: Regular Plural Nouns

The following nouns in each sentence are spelled in their singular form. Write the correct plural form after each sentence.

1. There are two many pants in the drawer.2. How many avocado did you buy?3. Nancy does not enjoy cutting onion.4. We will use the gazebo for the barbecue.5. Those mosquito have to be eliminated.

Show the AnswersHow well did you do? Let’s review the rules and do

some activities after correcting your answers:Part I.

• B

• C

• B

• A

• D

Part II.

• children

• sheep

• teeth

• knives

• deer

• fish

• feet

• women

• mice

• people

Part III.

• kisses

• tomatoes

• heroes

• wives

• thieves

Part IV.

• pants

• avocados / avocadoes

• onions

• gazebos

• mosquitos / mosquitoes

NounsPerson, place, or thing, words that do some naming.

Nouns are so many ,children’s first nouns are hundreds for a penny.

Say person: mommy Maria, daddy Pedro, sister, brother, teacher, actor, secretary, reader,

And plural? Government, organization, establishment, foundation

Nouns are many as you can see,Regular and irregular,

You have learned them with me.

Say place: Guayama, Puerto Rico, El Morro tower, Museum, school, college, shower, building, bridge, store, supermarket, park, many more

Say thing: tree, house, flower, cross, hate, love, grass, moss, cart, girl, sketch, wife, star, pencil, rock, mug and life

Copyright: Dr. Jean Rodriguez Pazo

March 2005

EXPLANATORY NOTES:Nouns are thought of as “naming words”. Nouns name people, places or things. Let us take a look at their characteristics. We will only study singular and plural nouns.

SINGULAR NOUN DEFINITION: When a noun names only one thing; it is singular. Example: dog, man, park

PLURAL NOUN DEFINITION: When a noun names more than one; then it is said to be plural, Example: dogs, cats, parks

Nouns also denote abstract and intangible concepts: birth, hope, love

CAUTION: You must be careful. There are regular nouns and irregular nouns.

NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:• People: Juan Ramos is a teacher.

• Places: Interamerican University is in Guayama.

NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:

• Animals: Cats are interesting house pets.

NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:

• Actions: Parking can be a hassle at Plaza del Caribe.

NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:

NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:• Feelings: I feel less stress when I jog.

NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:• Abstract qualities: Her parents talked

about her love for Raúl.

NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:• Abstract ideas: His personal philosophy

is intriguing.

NOUNS GIVE NAMES TO:• Concrete things: Pedro lost his English

Dictionary.

CHARACTERISTICS• Nouns can also be identified by their

endings. Some common nouns are: -er/ -or speaker, actor

-ism vandalism, criticism

- ist scientist, artist

- ment government, establishment

- tion organization, foundation

• The words “a, an and the” signal that a noun is coming:

Singular Plural

the tree trees

ball balls

an apple

airplane

a building

cat

CHARACTERISTICS

NOUN PLURALSSINGULAR PLURAL

dog dogs

table tables

room rooms

door doors

NOUN PLURALSRULE 1:

• Most nouns generally become plural by adding an “ s”.

NOUN PLURALS

RULE 2: • Nouns that end in a

hissing sound “ –s, -ch, -sh, -z, -x and – ss” , become plural by adding “–es.”

SINGULAR PLURAL

bus busses

prize prizes

patch patches

fox foxes

boss bosses

brush brushes

NOUN PLURALS

RULE 3:• If the noun ends in a:

“vowel plus y” (- ay,- ey,- iy-, oy,), then add “ s” to form the plural.

SINGULAR PLURAL

way ways

key keys

boy boys

day days

NOUN PLURALS

RULE 4:• If the noun ends in a

“consonant plus y “, “change the y to ie “ and add s to form the plural:

SINGULAR PLURAL

lady ladies

baby babies

poppy poppies

penny pennies

NOUN PLURALS

RULE 5:• Some nouns that end in “

f or fe “ have plurals that end in – ves:

SINGULAR PLURAL

knife knives

elf elves

wife wives

self selves

NOUN PLURALSRULE 6:• Nouns ending in “ o “

are formed into plural by either adding “ –s or -es” . Some plurals may be formed either way. You must check the dictionary or follow some simple rules:

RULE 6:• Nouns ending in “ a

vowel plus o” - “ –ao, -eo, - o, -oo. – uo;

• Have plurals that end in just “s”.

• All musical terms ending in “o” form plurals by ending in just “s”.

-OS OES EITHER -OS OR OES

kilo kilos

pro pros

studio studios

echo echoes

hero heroes

potato potatoes

veto vetoes

avocado avocados/ avocadoes

buffalo buffalos / buffaloes

mango mangos/ mangoes

ghetto ghettos/ ghettoes

mulatto mulattos/ mulattoes

EXCEPTIONS EXCEPTIONS:

• Nouns ending in “ o “ preceded by a consonant:

dynamo dynamos

halo halos

piano pianos

• Nouns ending in “o” preceded by a vowel:

cuckoo cuckoos

portafolio portafolios

NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

• IRREGULAR PLURALS

Certain irregular nouns have special plural forms. These change the vowel sound in becoming plural:

SINGULAR PLURAL

foot feet

goose geese

man men

tooth teeth

NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

• IRREGULAR PLURALS

Some Old English plurals are still in use. These are called “ mutated plurals.”

SINGULAR PLURAL

child children

ox oxen

NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

• IRREGULAR PLURALS

Some nouns have the same form in the singular as in the plural:

SINGULAR PLURAL

sheep sheep

fish fish

species species

cod cod

NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

• IRREGULAR PLURALS

Some nouns have a plural form, but use a singular verb:

EXAMPLES:

• linguistics- Linguistics is the study of language.

• news – The news on Channel 4 starts at 5:00 PM.

NOUN PLURALSRULE 7:

• IRREGULAR PLURALS

Some nouns have a plural form and use a plural verb.

EXAMPLES:

• jeans- J. Lo jeans give the best fit.• glasses - She cannot read with those

glasses.

NOUN PLURALSRULE 8:

• Nouns ending in ch with a k sound form plurals by adding –s.

SINGULAR PLURAL

stomach stomachs

epoch epochs

1. turkeya. turkeysb. turkiesc. turkeysd. turkeiyes

2. preventiona. preventionsb. preventionesc. preventioniesd. prevenions

3. accounta. accountsb. accountiesc. accountesd. accounts

4. ferrya. ferryesb. ferreisc.ferriesd.ferryies

ACTIVITY 1

5. abilitya. abilitiesb.

abilitays

c. abilitiesd.

abilityies

ACTIVITY 1: Read the following words carefully. The words are nouns. Change them to plural by choosing the correct alternative:

____ 1.The plural of horse is:a. horseb. horsiesc. horsesd. horses

____2. The plural of cup is:a. cupsb. cupiesc. cupysd. cupps

_____3. The plural of sketch is:a. sketchb. sketchesc. sketchyesd. sketchies

_____4. The plural of ox is:a. oxb. oxiesc. oxend. oxyes

ACTIVITY 2 ACTIVITY 2: Change the singular nouns to the plural. Choose the correct alternative.

______5. The plural of scissors is:

a. scissorssb. scissorsc. scissoriesd. scissorys

1. desk ________________2. piano ________________3. planet ________________4. alley ________________5. ax ________________

ACTIVITY 3 ACTIVITY 3: For each noun, type the plural form in the space:

1. restaurant two ______________________2. linoleum many _______________________3. entrance several

_______________________4. community a lot of

_______________________5. campus some _______________________

ACTIVITY 4 ACTIVITY 4: For each singular noun, type the plural form in the space:

1. Pam needs ten loaf of bread for breakfast.2. Buy two new cage, since the monkey broke

his.3. Various storm will hit Puerto Rico in

September.4. The most beautiful monument are those in

church.5. She made three wish on her birthday.

ACTIVITY 5 ACTIVITY 5: In the following sentences there is one singular noun that should be plural. Underline that noun and write the correct form after the sentence.

Show me the AnswersYou must obtain 72%, that means 18 items correct to continue. If

you did not, you should return and re-do the first part of the Module.

Activity 1

• A

• A

• A

• A

• C

Activity 2

• C

• A

• B

• C

• B

Activity 3

• desks

• pianos

• planets

• alleys

• axes

Activity 4

• restaurants

• linoleums

• entrances

• communities

• campuses

Activity 5

• loaves

• cages

• storms

• monuments

• wishes

NOUN PLURALSRULE 9:

Nouns which retain their original Greek or Latin forms make plurals according to the rules of Greek or Latin.

SINGULAR PLURAL

alumnus alumni

crisis crises

phenomenon phenomena

stimulus stimuli

cactus cacti

NOUN PLURALS

• Some nouns retain foreign plurals. Some have adapted a regular English plural form as well:

SINGULAR FOREIGN PLURAL ENGLISH PLURAL

antenna antennae antennas

formula formulae formulas

NOUN PLURALS

• Nouns ending in “us” take on an “ a”. ( only in technical use)

SINGULAR PLURAL

corpus corpora

genus genera

NOUN PLURALS

• Nouns ending in “ us” with plural:

SINGULAR FOREIGN PLURAL ENGLISH PLURAL

cactus cacti cactuses

fungus fungi funguses

octopus octopi octopuses

syllabus syllabi syllabuses

Nouns ending in “ um” with plural”

SINGULAR FOREIGN PLURAL ENGLISH PLURAL

curriculum curricula curriculums

memorandum

memoranda memorandums

symposium symposia symposiums

Nouns ending in – ex , ix becoming plural -ices:

SINGULAR FOREIGN PLURAL PLURAL ENGLISH

apex apices apexes

appendix appendices appendixes

index indices indexes

matrix matrices matrixes

Nouns ending in – is become -es in plural:

SINGULAR PLURAL

analysis analyses

basis bases

emphasis emphases

oasis oases

thesis theses

Nouns ending in --on become a:

criterion criteria

phenomenon phenoma

RULE: Numerical expressions are usually singular, but can be plural if the individuals within the numerical group are acting individually.

EXAMPLES:

•Twenty thousand dollars is less money than expected

•Twenty percent of the faculty have Ph.D’s.

NOUN PLURALS

RULE: The plurals of single capital letters, acronyms and Arabic numerals take an –s WITHOUT an apostrophe:

EXAMPLES:

F( letter F )---- Fs

ATM ( Automatic Teller machine) ATMS

3 ( the Arabic Numeral 3)—3s

NOUN PLURALS

OTHER IRREGULAR PLURALS FROM DIFFERENT LANGUAGES:

SINGULAR PLURAL

ITALIAN libretto libretti

virtuoso virtuosi

HEBREW cherub cherubim

seraph seraphim

GREEK schema schemata

COMPOUND NOUNS

SINGULAR PLURAL

armchair armchairs

fireman firemen

RULE: Normally, the last word changes to plural.

WHERE man or woman come first, both parts change to plural:

woman- teacher women-teachers

manservant menservants

COMPOUND nouns formed with prepositions or adverbs make only the first word plural:

locker-on lockers-on

father- in- law fathers – in – law

spoonful spoonfuls

1. The plural of zero is:a. zerosb. zeroiesc. zeroysd. zero

2. The plural of species is:a. specyb. specyiesc. speciesd. speci

3. The plural of fungus is:a. fungusb. fungisc. fungyd. fungi

4. The plural of stimulus is:a. stimulisb. stimusesc. stimulesiesd. stimuli

POST- TESTPart I : Change the singular nouns to the plural:

5. The plural of index is:a. indexiesb. indexyesc. indicesd. index

1. base ______________

2. diagnosis ______________

3. analysis ______________

4. auto ______________

5. torpedo ______________

POST- TESTPART II: For each noun, type the plural form in the space:

1. fish many ___________________2. cactus several

___________________3. news several

___________________4. bacterium many ___________________5. curriculum a lot of

___________________

POST- TESTPart III: For each singular noun, type the plural form in the space:

1. The North and South had a Civil War.a. andb. ac. the d. war

2. The Art Museum inaugurated in 1978.a. museumb. artc. inauguratedd. in

POST- TESTPart IV: Identify the nouns in the following sentences:

3. It will take all your knowledge to pass the SAT.a. willb. yourc. Alld. knowledge

4. The novels are on reserve.a. onb. arec. reserved. the

5. Tell the children to keep their heads inside the car.a. childrenb. theirc. insided. the

1. The old lady’s scrarves were old-fashioned.2. Maria was told to dean the shelves.3. Bobby and Tommy are twins brothers and they are

firemen.4. The field with poppies look breathtaking.5. The nuclei seemed astonishing to the scientist.

POST- TESTPart V: Read the following sentences carefully. Select the irregular or special noun which is in plural. Change it to singular.

Show the Answers: Remember that you must score 72%, or 18 items correct. If you do not score 72%, please go back, review and do the tests and activities again.

1. Part I

2. A

3. C

4. D

5. D

6. C

1. Part II

2. bases

3. diagnoses

4. analyses

5. autos

6. torpedos / torpedoes

1. Part III

2. fish

3. cacti

4. news

5. bacteria

6. curriculums

1. Part IV

2. D

3. A

4. D

5. C

6. A

1. Part V

2. scarf

3. shelf

4. fireman

5. poppy

6. nucleus

POST- TEST

CHALLENGERead the following paragraph. Pick out at least 10 singular and plural nouns. Write down their respective plural and singular forms

SINGULAR PLURAL PLURAL SINGULAR

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

The Colonel decided to make a detour and go through the woods. The Colonel had ten scouts with him. As the Advisor he had to make the best decisions. The other alternatives were not accepted. He knew they would find many species: mosquitoes, deer and fish. This was no ordinary journey. They had to get back to the tents- back to camp. He was making a video to present evidence of the events. The situation would be questioned and discussed. At last they saw the cliff. They all walked to the edge. They had finally arrived. Down there was the camp!

Show the AnswersSINGULAR PLURAL PLURAL SINGULAR

1. Colonel Colonels * woods * woods

2. detour detours scouts scouts

3. Advisor Advisors decisions decision

4. journey journeys alternatives alternative

5. camp camps * species * species

6. video video * deer * deer

7. situation situations * fish * fish

8. edge edges events event

9. cliff cliffs

* These are the same in singular and plural

CREATIVE AND EMPOWERMENT SECTION

ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!• www.funbrain.com/funbrain/plurals• web2.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/plural.htm• web.2.uvcs.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/irrplu.htm• www.einfoweb.com/grammar/nouns/ip.html• www.einfoweb.com/grammar/nouns/worksheets/answers• www.gsu.edu/eslhpb/aegweb/exercises/x9/x9-A/x9-A.htm• www.engl.virginia.edu./OE/OEA/nouns.html• Webster.commnet.edu/grammar/nouns.htm• www.collegeem.gc.ca/cemdept/anglais/plurals.htm• http://www.english-zone.com/spellingplurals.html• www.-englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/plural1.htm• www.kidsdomain.com/down/pe/lfspellitright.html• www.english-zone.com/spelling/1endings.html• café.rapidus.net/anlgagne/plural/plural/html• www.stufun.com/grammar• www.lovetolearnplace.com/Grammar/

singular&pluralnouns.html