Table of contents |
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What are Nouns? |
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Singular Noun |
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Plural Noun |
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Rules for Forming Plural Nouns in English |
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Solved Exercise |
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A noun is a word that identifies a person, place, thing, or idea. It gives a name to something we can see, touch, or even think about—whether it's something real like a "book" or "teacher," or something abstract like "freedom" or "happiness."
Just like babies often learn words like "mama" or "milk" first, nouns are typically the first part of speech we study when learning a new language.
Nouns can be:
Singular, when they refer to just one person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., cat, city, dream).
Plural, when they refer to more than one (e.g., cats, cities, dreams).
A singular noun refers to just one person, place, thing, or idea.
Think of it like this: if you're talking about one item, it's singular.
Examples:
i) boy – one boy
ii) apple – one apple
iii) school – one school
iv) idea – one idea
So whenever you're talking about something that's only one, you use the singular form.
A plural noun means more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
In most cases, you just add -s or -es to make a noun plural.
Examples:
i) boys – more than one boy
ii) apples – more than one apple
iii) schools – more than one school
iv) ideas – more than one idea
Some nouns change spelling when they become plural:
child → children
man → men
mouse → mice
So, when you're talking about two or more things, use the plural form.
For the plural form of most nouns, add s.
For nouns that end in ch, x, s, or s sounds, add es.
For nouns ending in f or fe, change f to v and add es.
Some nouns have different plural forms.
Nouns ending in vowels like y or o do not have definite rules.
A few nouns have the same singular and plural forms.
Q. Choose the correct form of the noun in each sentence.
(i) In the exhibit, there were several (phenomenon, phenomena) that left the scientists baffled.
Ans: phenomena
(ii) The ancient city was inhabited by mysterious (species, specie) that had never been documented before.
Ans: species
(iii) The research paper discussed the intricate relationships among various (cactus, cacti) in the desert ecosystem.
Ans: cacti
(iv) The library contained a vast collection of (datum, data) from different time periods.
Ans: data
(v) The orchestra performed a medley of classical (opus, opera) at the grand concert.
Ans: opera
(vi) During the expedition, the team discovered remnants of ancient (bacterium, bacteria) in the frozen tundra.
Ans: Bacteria
(vii) The professor explained the complex (phenomenon, phenomena) using a series of detailed diagrams.
Ans: phenomenon
(viii) The hikers encountered a variety of (fungus, fungi) during their trek through the dense forest.
Ans: fungi
(ix) The biologist studied the behavior of different (genus, genera) of plants in the rainforest.
Ans: genera
(x) The museum displayed artifacts from multiple (century, centuries) of human history.
Ans: centuries
40 videos|86 docs|63 tests
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1. What is the difference between singular and plural nouns? | ![]() |
2. How can I determine if a noun is singular or plural? | ![]() |
3. Can nouns change their form from singular to plural? | ![]() |
4. Are there any nouns that have the same form for both singular and plural? | ![]() |
5. What are collective nouns, and how do they relate to singular and plural nouns? | ![]() |