2015-08-21
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These describe groups (or 'collections') of people or things:
People: an army of soldiers a board of directors
Animals, birds, insects: a flock of birds/sheep, a swarm of bees
Plants and fruit: a bunch of flowers; a crop of apples
Things: a set of cutlery, a suit of clothes
For more examples [> App 6]. For other collective nouns [> 2.28].
Number (singular and plural)
Number (singular and plural) 2,20 Singular and plural forms of nouns
| regular spelling | singular | plural | ||
| -s after most nouns: | cat tub | cats tubs | ||
| -es after nouns ending in | -o | potato | potatoes | [> 2.25] |
| -s: | class | classes | ||
| -x: | box | boxes | ||
| -ch: | watch | watches | ||
| -sh: | bush | bushes | ||
| consonant + -y becomes | -ies: | country | countries | |
| Note that vowel +,-y adds | -s:-ay: | day | days | |
| -ey. | key | keys | ||
| -oy. | boy | boys | ||
| -uy. | guy | guys | ||
| Proper nouns ending in -y | add -s in the plural: | |||
| Fry | the Frys | [> 2. 36] | ||
| Kennedy | the Kennedys | |||
| irregular spelling | ||||
| Some endings in -f/-fe take | -ves. | wife | wives | [> 2.23] |
| Internal vowel change | man | men | [> 2. 26] | |
| Nouns with plurals in | -en: | ox | oxen | [> 2.26] |
| No change: | sheep | sheep | [> 2.27] | |
| Foreign plurals, e.g | analysis | analyses | [> 2.34] |
Pronunciation of nouns with regular plurals
The rules for pronunciation are the same as those for the 3rd
|
|
|
person / s / after simple present of regular verbs [> 9.7].
/ f/ chiefs, coughs, proofs [> 2.23]
/k/ cakes, forks, knocks
/p/ drops, taps, tapes
/t/ pets, pockets, skirts / Z/ after /Ɵ / depths, months, myths [> 2. 22]
/b/ tubs, tubes, verbs
/d/ friends, hands, roads
/g/ bags dogs, legs
/l/ bells, tables, walls
/m/ arms, dreams, names
/n/ lessons, pens, spoons / ɧ /songs, stings, tongues vowel + /R/: chairs, doors, workers vowel sounds: eyes, ways, windows
Note that e is not pronounced in the categories above when the plural ends in -es: e.g. cakes, clothes stones, tapes, tubes
Nouns ending in the following take an extra syllable pronounced /iz/:
/z/ mazes, noises,
noses
/dʒ/ bridges, oranges,
pages
/s/ buses classes
masses
/ ʃ/ bushes, crashes, dishes
/ ʧ / matches, patches, speeches
/ks/ axes, boxes, taxes
2 Nouns
Nouns with regular spelling/irregular pronunciation
The ending of the following nouns is pronounced I z l in the plural baths mouths oaths paths truths wreaths youths The plural of house (houses) is pronounced /hauziz/
