The Noun: Numbers | English Grammar for Class 6 PDF Download

Nouns have two numbers: The Singular number and the Plural number.
The word - number - refers to whether a noun is only one or more than one. 

Singular Number 
A noun is said to be in the singular number when it is used to mean one person or thing:- baby, toy, life, child, man, girl, doll, bus, mango etc.
Plural Number 
A noun is said to be in the plural number when it is used to mean more than one person or thing :- babies, toys, lives, children, men, girls, dolls, buses, mangoes etc.

(i) Countable Nouns
Countable Nouns are the things we can count; as, pens, books, bags, chairs, tables, apples, benches, etc. A singular countable noun always takes a or an before it. We can use a countable noun in the singular and also in the plural; as, This is a pen. These are pens. That is an apple. Those are apples.

(ii) Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable Nouns are the things we cannot count; as, butter, ghee, honey, tea, wool, air, water, milk, oil etc. We never use a or an before an uncountable noun and we don’t use an uncountable noun in the plural; as, we can say two pens but we can’t say two water.

We can use some with an uncountable noun. We can use some with a countable noun in the plural; as, Please give me some biscuits. Please give me some milk.

Rules for the Change of Numbers

• By adding the letter ‘s’ to the noun in singular; as, apple – apples, bag – bags, cat – cats, etc.
• Nouns ending in s, ss, sh, ch, x or z form their plurals by adding – ‘es’ to the singular; as, bush – bushes, bus – buses, glass – glasses, etc.
• If a Singular Noun ends in y with a vowel before it, the plural is formed by adding s only; as, Boy – Boys, Bay – Bays, Chimney – Chimneys, Donkey – Donkeys, etc.
• If the Singular Noun ends in f or fe the plural is formed by changing f or fe into v and then adding es; as, Calf – Calves, Elf – Elves, Half – Halves, Knife – Knives, etc.

Rules for Making Plural Nouns
Consider the following rules while make a singular noun to plural.

• If Singular Noun ends in y and there is a consonant before y the plural is formed by changing y into i and adding es; as, Army – Armies, Assembly – Assemblies, Baby – Babies, etc.
• Similarly we can change the following: Country, city, cry, copy, dairy, diary, duty, enemy, fairy, fly, fury, gallery, gully, history, hobby, lady, lorry, lilly, luxury, penny, pony, policy, sky, story, victory.
• If the Singular Noun ends in ief, ff, ef, or f then the plural is formed by adding s to them; as; Belief – Beliefs, Chief – Chiefs, Cliff – Cliffs, Dwarf – Dwarfs, etc.
• Similarly we can do for the following: Handker-chief, hoof, mischief, gulf, grief, proof, roof, safe, serf, staff, strife, brief, etc.
  

1. Irregular Plural
The nouns which do not form their plurals by adding s or es are called irregular plurals.

2. Plural of Compound Nouns
If the Compound Noun is made of two nouns, the second noun is changed into the Plural Form; as, Foot-man: Foot-men, Governor-General: Governor- Generals, Step-son: Step-sons, Step-daughter: Step-daughters, Gentle-man: Gentle-men, Maid-Servant: Maid Servants, etc.