NUMBER

The way in which differences between singular and plural are shown grammatically is called Number.

In this way, there are two kinds of Number:-

1. Singular Number 

2. Plural Number 

1. Singular Number - It suggests that a thing or a person is only one in

number.

Example :- boy, girl, city, cow, book, etc.

2. Plural Number :- It suggests that a thing or a person is more than one in

number.

Example :- boys, girls, cities, cows, books, etc.

Uncountable Nouns are always Singular and they are used only in singular sense or singular number. 

A Countable Noun is Singular by nature in its original form. It can be changed into Plural by following some certain rules. 

RULES OF CHANGING FROM SINGULAR TO PLURAL NUMBER :- 

1. Generally, a singular Countable Noun is changed into Plural by adding 's' at its end.

Examples:-

Singular         Plural       Singular        Plural 

bag                 bags         ball                balls

book               books       tree               trees 

girl                  girls           sister           sisters 

day                 days           pencil           pencils 

2. If a singular noun ends with s, x, sh, ss, ch or z, it is made plural by adding 'es' at its end. 

Examples:-

Singular      Plural           Singular       Plural 

gas              gases            bus               buses

box              boxes            tax                taxes 

bench         benches        dish              dishes 

class           classes         glass            glasses 

N.B.:- But, if a singular noun ends with 'ch' and it is pronounced 'k',  it is made plural by adding 's' to it.

Example :- monarch - monarchs 

3. If a singular noun ends with 'y' and a vowel letter comes before this 'y', it is made plural by adding 's' at its end. 

Examples:- 

Singular     Plural            Singular      Plural 

boy              boys              key              keys 

way             ways             monkey      monkeys 

4. If a singular noun ends with 'y' and a consonant letter comes before this 'y', it is made plural by changing 'y' into 'I' and then adding 'es' to it. 

Examples:-

Singular      Plural           Singular      Plural 

baby            babies          lady             ladies 

country       countries      army           armies 

family          families        fly                flies 

5. If a singular noun ends with 'o' and a vowel letter comes before 'o', it is made plural by adding 's' to it. 

Examples:-

Singular     Plural        Singular       Plural 

folio           folios         cuckoo        cuckoos 

bamboo    bamboos 

6.  If a singular noun ends with 'o' and a consonant letter comes before 'o', it is made plural by adding 'es' to it. 

Examples:-

Singular     Plural        Singular       Plural 

hero            heroes      potato         potatoes 

mango       mangoes   volcano      volcanoes 

Exceptions:- photo - photos , piano- pianos, 

folio  - folios,  etc. 

7. If a singular noun ends with 'f/fe', it is made plural by changing 'f/fe' into 'v' and then adding 'es' to it. 

Examples:-

Singular    Plural        Singular      Plural 

wolf           wolves      calf              calves 

life             lives           knife            knives 

wife           wives         loaf             loaves 

thief           thieves      leaf             leaves 

Exceptions:-

Singular     Plural        Singular      Plural 

chief           chiefs       belief          beliefs 

roof            roofs         strife           strifes

proof          proofs       mischief     mischiefs

cliff             cliffs          gulf             gulfs 

8. Some singular nouns are made plural by changing the internal vowel letters. 

Examples:- 

Singular     Plural         Singular       Plural 

man            men           woman        women 

foot            feet            goose           geese 

mouse       mice           tooth            teeth 

9. Some singular nouns are made plural by adding 'en' to it 

Examples:- ox - oxen,  child - children. 

10. In Compound nouns, main words are made plural. 

Examples:-

Singular                     Plural     

brother-in-law           brothers-in-law

passer- by                 passers-by 

maid servant            maid servants 

postman                   postmen 

stepson                     stepsons 

pickpocket                pickpockets 

son-in-law                 sons-in-law 

11. Some compound nouns are made plural by making plural of both the nouns. 

Examples:-

Singular                      Plural 

manservant               menservants 

woman servant         women servants 

12. Some nouns remain the same in both the singular and plural forms. 

Examples:- 

Singular    Plural        Singular     Plural 

deer           deer          sheep         sheep 

pice            pice          

13. Some nouns look to be plural as they end with 's', but they are always used in singular sense.

Examples:- mathematicians, politics, Physics, news, gallows, summons, etc. 

14. Some nouns ending with 's' are always plural. 

Examples:- alms, ashes, auspices,  bowels, measles, riches, tidings, scissors, cards, scales, thanks, etc. 

15. Some Collective Nouns look to be singular, but they are always used as plural. 

Examples:- cattle, folk, gentry, mankind, people, peasantry, police, public, vermin, cavalry, infantry, etc. 

N.B. :- 'peoples' means nation or tribe. 

16. Some nouns are always singular. 

Examples:- furniture, information, advice, alphabet, machinery, poetry, scenery, issue, offspring, expenditure, etc. 

17. Some nouns have two plural forms with two different meanings. 

Examples:- 

Brother- brothers - sons of the same parents. 

              - brethren- people of the same tribe. 

Cloth- cloths - pieces of cloth.

          - clothes- dress.  

18. Plural of some foreign words:- 

Singular    Plural            Singular       Plural 

axis           axes               agendum    agenda 

datum       data                 medium     media

basis         bases               criterion     criteria 

oasis         oases                  radius       radii        thesis       theses 

appendix   appendices

analysis     analyses

hypothesis    hypotheses 

parenthesis   parentheses

phenomenon  phenomena