-----Noun-Gender-----
Q. : What is Gender?
Ans. : Gender is that form of a word that tell us whether person, place or thing denoted by the word (NOUN) is MALE (MASCULINE GENDER) or FEMALE (FEMININE GENDER) or either MALE or FEMALE (COMMON GENDER) or a LIFELESS THING neither MALE nor FEMALE (NEUTER GENDER).
So in English there are four kinds of gender as seen above.
Note :-
1):-Collective Nouns are always considered of the “NEUTER GENDER” weather they denote “LIVING BEINGS” or “NON-LIVING BEINGS”.
2):-Personified lifeless objects (CONSIDERED AS LIVING BEINGS) are considered of the “MASCULINE or FEMININE GENDER”.
1).
SINGULAR NUMBER :-
A Noun that denotes a single person, place or thing is called to be in the “SINGULAR NUMBER”.
2). PLURAL NUMBER :-
A Noun that denotes two or more than two persons, places or things is called to be in the “PLURAL NUMBER”.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Boy | Boys | Girl | Girls |
| Man | Men | Woman | Women |
| Pen | Pens | Book | Books |
| Goose | Geese | Mouse | Mice |
| Foot | Feet | Tooth | Teeth |
| Brother-in-law | Brothers-in-law | Sister-in-law | Sisters-in-law |
| Dictionary | Dictionaries | Baby | Babies |
| Photo | Photoes | Piano | Pianoes |
| Wife | Wives | Knife | Knives |
| Gulf | Gulfs | Chief | Chiefs |
Rules for Changing Singular to Plural :-
If you want to learn how to change the “Singular Noun” into “Plural Noun” the following rules will help you.
Rule 1 :-
Some Nouns form their “PLURAL” by having “s” at the end.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Boy | Boys | Girl | Girls |
| Pan | Pans | Pen | Pens |
| Hand | Hands | Book | Books |
| Computer | Computers | Blog | Blogs |
| Table | Tables | Chair | Chairs |
| Brother | Brothers | Sister | Sisters |
| Cat | Cats | Dog | Dogs |
| Animal | Animals | Mind | Minds |
| Owl | Owls | Hack | Hacks |
| Student | Students | School | Schools |
Rule 2 :-
Nouns ending with “s”, “sh”, “ss”, “ch” and “x” form their “PLURAL” by having “es” at the end.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Gas | Gases | Bus | Buses |
| Ass | Asses | Class | Classes |
| Fox | Foxes | Box | Boxes |
| Watch | Watches | Church | Churches |
| Apex | Apexes | Index | Indexes |
| Canvas | Canvases | Yes | Yeses |
| Coach | Coaches | Switch | Switches |
| Fix | Fixes | Tax | Taxes |
| Dish | Dishes | Brush | Brushes |
| Match | Matches | Peach | Peaches |
Rule 3 :-
Nouns in which the ending consonants “c & h” both are pronounced as “/ k /” instead of “/ tʃ /” form their “PLURAL” by having “s” at the end. Basically these words are added to English language from other languages such as “Scottish”, “Latin” and “French”.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Clarsach | Clarsachs | Cromlech | Cromlechs |
| Triptych | Triptychs | Diptych | Diptychs |
| Epoch | Epochs | Eunuch | Eunuchs |
| Hemistich | Hemistichs | Loch | Lochs |
| Matriarch | Matriarchs | Patriarch | Patriarchs |
| Czech | Czechs | Monarch | Monarchs |
| Oligarch | Oligarchs | Pibroch | Pibrochs |
| Sassenach | Sassenachs | Stomach | Stomachs |
| Tech | Techs |
Rule 4 :-
Nouns ending with “o” and the ending “o” is preceded by any consonant form their “PLURAL” by having “es” at the end.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Hero | Heroes | Go | Goes |
| Potato | Potatoes | Tomato | Tomatoes |
| Echo | Echoes | Embargo | Embargoes |
| Torpedoes | Torpedoes | Veto | Vetoes |
| Jingo | Jingoes | No | Noes |
| Bubo | Buboes | Dingo | Dingoes |
| Domino | Dominoes | Fatso | Fatsoes |
| Gusto | Gustoes | Stomach | Stomachs |
| Tech | Techs |
Exception :Babygro Do(A party/A social event)
1 We add (S) to the common nouns ending
with (O).
2. We add (S) to the short forms
Nouns ending with (O).
3. We add (S) to the LOAN WORDS ending with (O).
(Loan words are those words that have come from another languages with no change of spelling.)
4. We add (S) to the words that are newer to English and end with (O).
Rule 5 :-
In the Nouns ending with “y” preceded by a consonant we replace “y” with “ies”to form their “PLURAL”.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Cry | Cries | Pony | Ponies |
| Family | Families | City | Cities |
| Country | Countries | Box | Boxes |
| Dictionary | Dictionaries | Reply | Replies |
| Fly | Flies | Lady | Ladies |
| Army | Armies | Enemy | Enemies |
| Baby | Babies | Story | Stories |
| Cherry | Cherries | Navy | Navies |
| Bevy | Bevies | Body | Bodies |
| Envy | Envies | Duty | Duties |
Rule 6 :-
In the Nouns ending with “y” preceded by a vowel we add “s” to that Noun to form the “PLURAL”.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Boy | Boys | Toy | Toys |
| Way | Ways | Day | Days |
| Ray | Rays | Key | Keys |
| Monkey | Monkeys | Donkey | Donkeys |
| Journey | Journeys | Valley | Valleys |
| Army | Armies | Enemy | Enemies |
| Bay | Bays | Storey | Storeys |
| Prey | Preys | Tray | Trays |
| Buoy | Buoys | Guy | Guys |
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Colloquy | Colloquies | Obloquy | Obloquies |
| Soliloquy | Soliloquies | ------- | ------- |
Rule 7 :-
In the Nouns ending with “double vowel” we add “s” to that Noun to form the “PLURAL”.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Tree | Trees | Radio | Radios |
| Bee | Bees | Sea | Seas |
| Studio | Studios | Tattoo | Tattoos |
| Zoo | Zoos | Stereo | Stereos |
| Cuckoo | Cuckoos | Cameo | Cameos |
| Portfolio | Portfolios | Woe | Woes |
| Bamboo | Bamboos | Queue | Queues |
| Antique | Antiques | Cheque | Cheques |
| Canoe | Canoes | Flea | Fleas |
Rule 8 :-
Nouns ending with “f” or “fe” are made “PLURAL” by adding “s” at the end of that Noun or by replacing “f” with “ves”. The next question is, “Where to use “s” and where to use “ves” to form the plural.” For this we can follow some helpful steps given below.
Rule 8 a :-
Nouns ending with “ff” are made “PLURAL” by adding “s” at the end of that Noun.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Bailiff | Bailiffs | Buff | Buffs |
| Cliff | Cliffs | Cuff | Cuffs |
| Rebuff | Rebuffs | Sniff | Sniffs |
| Tariff | Tariffs | Plaintiff | Plaintiffs |
Rule 8 b :-
Nouns ending with “lf” are made “PLURAL” by replacing “f” at the end of that Noun with “ves”. The only exception to this rule is Gulf = Gulfs.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Bookshelf | Bookshelves | Calf | Calves |
| Elf | Elves | Half | Halves |
| Shelf | Shelves | Self | Selves |
| Werewolf | Werewolves | Wolf | Wolves |
Rule 8 c :-
Nouns ending with “mf” are made “PLURAL” by adding “s” at the end of that Noun.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Bumf | Bumfs | ------ | ------ |
Rule 8 d :-
Nouns ending with “of” or “oof” are made “PLURAL” by adding “s” at the end of that Noun. The only exceptions to this rule are :-
1).Hoof = Hoofs/Hooves
2). Yoof = Yooves
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Goof | Goofs | Hoof | Hoofs |
| Poof | Poofs | Prof | Profs |
| Proof | Proofs | Roof | Roofs |
| Spoof | Spoofs | Woof | Woofs |
Rule 8 e :-
Nouns ending with “rf” are made “PLURAL” by adding either “s” or “ves” at the end of that Noun.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Plural Noun |
| Dwarf | Dwarfs | Dwarves |
| Scarf | Scarfs | Scarves |
| Turf | Turfs | Turves |
| Wharf | Wharfs | Wharves |
The only exceptions to this rule are :-
1).Serf = Serfs
2). Surf = Surfs
3). Headscarf = Headscarves
Rule 9 :-
The following 8 Nouns form their “PLURAL” by a change of the inside vowel.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Man | Men | Woman | Women |
| Foot | Feet | Goose | Geeese |
| Mouse | mice | Louse | Lice |
| Dormouse | Dormice | Tooth | Teeth |
Rule 10 :-
The following 4 Nouns form their “PLURAL” by adding “ren” “en” “ne”.
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Child | Children | Brother | Brotheren |
| Ox | Oxen | Cow | Kine |
Rule 11 :-
Compound Nouns generally form their “PLURAL” by adding “s” to the head word (main word about which we are talking).
As :-
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| Brother-in-law | Brothers-in-law | Sister-in-law | Sisters-in-law |
| Step-mother | Step-mothers | Step-father | Step-fathers |
Exceptions to this rule are :-
1).Man servant = Men servants
2). Woman servant = Women servants
3). Lord justice = Lords justices
4). Knight Templar = Knights Templars
But Compound Nouns written without a hyphen form their “PLURAL” by having “s” at the end.
As :-
1).Handful = Handfuls
2). Mouthful = Mouthfuls
Plural of Foreign Words
1). If the word ending in “a” is Latin in origin, the plural ending tends to be -ae.
Words that always take the Latin plural :-
Larva = Larvae
Alumna = Alumnae
Vertebra = Vertebrae
Some other Latin words ending in “a” take either Latin or English plurals:-
Amoeba = Amoebas / Amoebae
Formula = Formulas / Formulae
Cicada = Cicadas / Cicadae
Tibia = Tibias / Tibiae
Trachea = Tracheas / Tracheae
Verruca = Verrucas / Verrucae
2). Greek words ending in “es” do not change in the plural. To express their plural we use the following way :-
One Series = Two Series/Several Series
One Species = Two Species/ Several Species
3). If the word ending in “ix” or “ex” is Latin in origin, we change the ending “ix” or “ex” with “ices”.
Matrix = Matrices
Codex = Codices
Index= Indices
4). Some Greek words ending in “on” always take the English -s ending in the plural:-
Electron=Electrons
Lexicon=Lexicons
Neutron=Neutrons
Proton=Protons
Skeleton =Skeletons
5). Some take either the English “s” plural or the Greek “a” plural :-
Automaton = Automatons/Automata
Phenomenon = Phenomenons/Phenomena
6). Some can take only the Greek “a” plural :-
Criterion = Criteria
Ephemeron = Ephemera
7). Some words ending in “um” always take the Latin “a” ending in the plural :-
Addendum = Addenda
Erratum = Errata
Ovum = Ova
Bacterium =Bacteria
8). Other words ending in “um” take either English “s” or Latin “a” ending in the plural :-
Memorandum = Memorandums / Memoranda
Stratum = Stratums / Strata
Forum = Forums / Fora
Gymnasium = Gymnasiums / Gymnasia
9). Some words ending in “um” always take the English “s” ending in the plural :-
Album = Albums
Asylum = Asylums
Museum = Museums
Pendulum = Pendulums
Premium = Premiums
10). Many words ending in “us” always take the English “es” ending in the plural :-
Census = Censuses
Circus = Circuses
Hiatus = Hiatuses
Prospectus = Prospectuses
Sinus = Sinuses
Virus = Viruses
Apparatus = Apparatuses
11). While with some words ending in “us”, the Latin “i” is usually preferable in the plural:-
Cactus = Cacti
Narcissus = Narcissi
Radius = Radii
Alumnus = Alumni
Bacillus = Bacilli
Fungus = Fungi
Stimulus = Stimuli
MISCELLANEOUS
Axis = Axes
Crisis = Crises
Analysis = Analyses
Basis = Bases
Hypothesis = Hypotheses
Madame (Madam) = Mesdames
Curriculum = Curricula
Synopsis = Synopses
Thesis = Theses
Agenda = Agendas
Medium = Media
Datum = Data(Now a days DATUM is rarely used as singular.)
Some Other Rules
Rule 1 :-
Some nouns have two plural forms. Both the plural forms have a different meaning :-
As :-
Brother
1). Brothers = Sons of the same parents.
2). Brethren = Members of a society or community.
Cloth
1). Cloths = Kinds or pieces of cloth.
2). Clothes = Garments.
Die
1). Dies = Stamps for coins .
2). Dice = Small cubes used in a game.
Staff
1). Staves = Walking sticks or the lines used in music.
2). Staffs = Employees of an organization .
Penny
1). Pennies = Number of coins
2). Pence = Sum of money
Some nouns have different meanings in their singular and plural forms :-
As :-
| Singular Meaning | Plural Meaning |
| Advice = Counsel | Advices = Information |
| Air = An invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth | Airs = Annoyingly affected and condescending manner |
