Singular nouns:
In English there are nouns which are used only in the singular.
1) Collections
Noun / sentence
furniture: She bought new furniture last week.
fruit: Would you like some fruit?
hair*: Your hair looks lovely.
* see countable and uncountable nouns
more nouns: luggage, jewellry
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2) some nouns ending in -s
noun / sentence
news: Good evening. Here is the news.
physics: Physics is our first lesson on Monday morning.
progress: Progress was made in developing new technologies.
The United States: The United States is a country with 50 federal states.
more nouns: athletics, billards, crossroads, darts, economics, gymnastics, maths, mumps, politics, series
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3) special nouns
noun / sentence
homework: My Maths homework was not easy.
information: For further information on the hotel, phone us at ....
knowledge: His knowledge of English is excellent.
more nouns: advice, damage, work
In English there are nouns which are used only in the plural.
1) Pair nouns
Noun : / sentence
Jeans : Where are my jeans?
Glasses : She has lost her glasses.
Scissors : These scissors don't cut well.
If you want to refer to an exact number, use a/one pair of, like in the following example.
I have bought a/one pair of jeans.
I have bought two pairs of jeans.
other nouns: binoculars, headphones, pyjamas, scales, shorts, tights, trousers
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2) Nouns not used in the singular (headwords)
noun / sentence
cattle: Male cattle are called bulls.
clothes: He bought some new clothes yesterday.
stairs: The children ran down the stairs.
wages: The wages are paid on the last day of the month.
people* : Three people were killed in the car crash last Friday evening.
police Look! The police are coming.
* The word people can be used in the singular with another meaning:
They are a friendly people.
The native peoples of Africa often have black skins.
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3) Nationalities
The following nationalities (no -s) are used in the pural:
the Dutch, the British, the English, the French, the Spanish, the Welsh
The singular of the English would be: the Englishman
Foreign plurals:
These nouns have irregular plural forms. They often make their plurals according to the rules of the language they were taken from (e.g. Latin or Greek). Sometimes there is more than one plural form possible or these forms have different meanings. Always use a good dictionary when using foreign plurals. Here are some examples.
singular / plural
Analysis : analyses
Appendix : appendixes/appendices
Axis : axes
Basis : bases
Cactus : cactuses/cacti
Criterion : criteria
Datum : data
Diagnosis : diagnoses
Index : indexes/indices
Medium : mediums/media
Oasis : oases
Octopus : octopuses/octopi
Phenomenon : phenomena
Syllabus : syllabuses/syllabi
Thesis : theses
There are countable and uncountable nouns in English.
Countable nouns:
Most of the nouns are countable. You can combine them with numbers, e.g one, two or three. Here is an example:
one pencil
two pencils
three pencils
etc.
________________________________________
Uncountable nouns:
These nouns can't be combined with numbers. Here is an example:
water
If you want to express a quantity, you have to use a special phrase e.g. a glass of water.
NOTE:
Some nouns can be either countable or uncountable. We recommend to use a good dictionary. Here is an example, too. hair - hairs
You've got some hairs on your T-shirt. (There might be 5 or 6 of them.)
Your hair looks lovely. (Here you think of the hairstyle.)
Progress : Progress was made in developing new technologies.
The United States The United States is a country with 50 federal states.
More nouns: athletics, billards, crossroads, darts, economics, gymnastics, maths, mumps, politics, series
________________________________________
3) special nouns
noun / sentence
Homework : My Maths homework was not easy.
Information : For further information on the hotel, phone us at ....
Knowledge : His knowledge of English is excellent.
more nouns: advice, damage, work
In English there are nouns which are used only in the singular.
1) Collections
Noun / sentence
furniture: She bought new furniture last week.
fruit: Would you like some fruit?
hair*: Your hair looks lovely.
* see countable and uncountable nouns
more nouns: luggage, jewellry
________________________________________
2) some nouns ending in -s
noun / sentence
news: Good evening. Here is the news.
physics: Physics is our first lesson on Monday morning.
progress: Progress was made in developing new technologies.
The United States: The United States is a country with 50 federal states.
more nouns: athletics, billards, crossroads, darts, economics, gymnastics, maths, mumps, politics, series
________________________________________
3) special nouns
noun / sentence
homework: My Maths homework was not easy.
information: For further information on the hotel, phone us at ....
knowledge: His knowledge of English is excellent.
more nouns: advice, damage, work
In English there are nouns which are used only in the plural.
1) Pair nouns
Noun : / sentence
Jeans : Where are my jeans?
Glasses : She has lost her glasses.
Scissors : These scissors don't cut well.
If you want to refer to an exact number, use a/one pair of, like in the following example.
I have bought a/one pair of jeans.
I have bought two pairs of jeans.
other nouns: binoculars, headphones, pyjamas, scales, shorts, tights, trousers
________________________________________
2) Nouns not used in the singular (headwords)
noun / sentence
cattle: Male cattle are called bulls.
clothes: He bought some new clothes yesterday.
stairs: The children ran down the stairs.
wages: The wages are paid on the last day of the month.
people* : Three people were killed in the car crash last Friday evening.
police Look! The police are coming.
* The word people can be used in the singular with another meaning:
They are a friendly people.
The native peoples of Africa often have black skins.
________________________________________
3) Nationalities
The following nationalities (no -s) are used in the pural:
the Dutch, the British, the English, the French, the Spanish, the Welsh
The singular of the English would be: the Englishman
Foreign plurals:
These nouns have irregular plural forms. They often make their plurals according to the rules of the language they were taken from (e.g. Latin or Greek). Sometimes there is more than one plural form possible or these forms have different meanings. Always use a good dictionary when using foreign plurals. Here are some examples.
singular / plural
Analysis : analyses
Appendix : appendixes/appendices
Axis : axes
Basis : bases
Cactus : cactuses/cacti
Criterion : criteria
Datum : data
Diagnosis : diagnoses
Index : indexes/indices
Medium : mediums/media
Oasis : oases
Octopus : octopuses/octopi
Phenomenon : phenomena
Syllabus : syllabuses/syllabi
Thesis : theses
There are countable and uncountable nouns in English.
Countable nouns:
Most of the nouns are countable. You can combine them with numbers, e.g one, two or three. Here is an example:
one pencil
two pencils
three pencils
etc.
________________________________________
Uncountable nouns:
These nouns can't be combined with numbers. Here is an example:
water
If you want to express a quantity, you have to use a special phrase e.g. a glass of water.
NOTE:
Some nouns can be either countable or uncountable. We recommend to use a good dictionary. Here is an example, too. hair - hairs
You've got some hairs on your T-shirt. (There might be 5 or 6 of them.)
Your hair looks lovely. (Here you think of the hairstyle.)
Progress : Progress was made in developing new technologies.
The United States The United States is a country with 50 federal states.
More nouns: athletics, billards, crossroads, darts, economics, gymnastics, maths, mumps, politics, series
________________________________________
3) special nouns
noun / sentence
Homework : My Maths homework was not easy.
Information : For further information on the hotel, phone us at ....
Knowledge : His knowledge of English is excellent.
more nouns: advice, damage, work
