{"id":759,"date":"2016-07-15T22:54:48","date_gmt":"2016-07-15T22:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level3-english\/?post_type=chapter&p=759"},"modified":"2017-04-30T19:06:31","modified_gmt":"2017-04-30T19:06:31","slug":"text-nouns","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-engcomp1-wmopen\/chapter\/text-nouns\/","title":{"raw":"Nouns","rendered":"Nouns"},"content":{"raw":"Nouns are a\u00a0diverse group of words, and they are very common in English. Nouns are a category of words defining things<\/strong>\u2014the name of people\u00a0(Dr. Sanders, lawyers), places (Kansas, factory, home), things (scissors, sheet music, book), or ideas (love, truth, beauty, intelligence).\r\n

Pluralization<\/h2>\r\n\"IconEnglish has both regular and irregular plural nouns. Regular plurals follow this rule (and other similar rules), but\u00a0irregular plurals are, well, not regular and don't follow a \"standard\" rule.\r\n

Regular\u00a0Plurals<\/h3>\r\nLet's start with regular plurals: regular plural nouns<\/strong> use established\u00a0patterns to\u00a0indicate there is more than one of a thing. As was\u00a0mentioned earlier, we add the plural suffix -s<\/em> or -es<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>to most words (cats<\/em>, zebras<\/em>, classes<\/em>, foxes, <\/em>heroes<\/em>). Remember that\u00a0when words have a foreign origin (e.g.,Latin, Greek, Spanish), we \u00a0just add the plural suffix -s<\/em>\u00a0(tacos<\/em>, avocados<\/em>, maestros<\/em>).\r\n\r\nWhen a word ends in y<\/em>\u00a0and there is a consonant before y<\/em>, we change the y<\/em>\u00a0to i<\/em>\u00a0and add -es<\/em>. Thus\u00a0sky<\/em> becomes\u00a0skies<\/em>. However, if the\u00a0y<\/em> follows another vowel, you simply add an -s<\/em>. (donkeys<\/em>,\u00a0alloys<\/em>). When a word ends in -f<\/em> or -fe<\/em>, we change the f<\/em> to v<\/em>\u00a0and add -es\u00a0<\/em>(calves<\/em>,\u00a0leaves<\/em>). However,\u00a0if there are two terminal f<\/em>s or if\u00a0you still pronounce the f<\/em> in the plural, you simply add an -s<\/em> (cliffs<\/em>,\u00a0chiefs<\/em>).\r\n

Irregular Plurals<\/h3>\r\nIrregular plurals<\/strong>, unlike regular plurals,\u00a0don't necessarily follow any particular pattern\u2014instead, they follow a lot of\u00a0different<\/em> patterns. Because of this, irregular plurals require a lot of memorization. If you're ever in doubt, the dictionary is there for you.\r\n\r\nThe first kind of irregular plural we'll talk about is the no-change<\/strong> or base plural<\/strong>. In these words, the\u00a0singular noun has the exact same form as the plural (sheep<\/em>,\u00a0fish<\/em>,\u00a0deer<\/em>, moose<\/em>). Most no-change plurals are types of animals. The next type of irregular is the mid-word vowel change<\/strong>. This includes words like\u00a0tooth<\/em>,\u00a0man<\/em>, and\u00a0mouse<\/em>, which become\u00a0teeth<\/em>,\u00a0men<\/em>, and\u00a0mice<\/em>.\r\n
Note:<\/strong> The plural for a computer mouse (as opposed to the fuzzy animal) can either be mice<\/em> or mouses<\/em>. Some people prefer\u00a0mouses<\/em> as it creates some differentiation between the two words.<\/div>\r\nWe also have the\u00a0plural -en<\/em>.<\/strong> In these words -en<\/em> is used as the plural ending instead of -s<\/em> or\u00a0-es<\/em>.\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • child\u00a0\u2192 children<\/li>\r\n \t
  • ox\u00a0\u2192 oxen<\/li>\r\n \t
  • brother\u00a0\u2192 brethren<\/li>\r\n \t
  • sister\u00a0\u2192 sistren<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
    Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Brethren<\/em>\u00a0and sistren<\/em>\u00a0are\u00a0antiquated terms that you're unlikely to run into in your life; however, since these are the only four words in English that use this plural, all four have been included above.<\/div>\r\nThe last category of irregular plurals is borrowed words. These words are native to other languages (e.g., Latin, Greek) and have retained the pluralization rules from their original tongue.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    Singular -us<\/em>; Plural -i<\/em><\/th>\r\ncactus\u00a0\u2192 cacti<\/td>\r\nfungus\u00a0\u2192 fungi<\/td>\r\nsyllabus\u00a0\u2192 syllabi<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Singular\u00a0-a<\/em>; Plural -ae<\/em><\/th>\r\nformula\u00a0\u2192 formulae<\/td>\r\nvertebra\u00a0\u2192 vertebrae<\/td>\r\nlarva\u00a0\u2192 larvae<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Singular -ix<\/em>, -ex<\/em>; Plural -ices<\/em>, -es<\/em><\/th>\r\nappendix\u00a0\u2192 appendices<\/td>\r\nmatrix \u2192 matrices<\/td>\r\nindex\u00a0\u2192 indices<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Singular -on<\/em>,\u00a0-um<\/em>; Plural -a<\/em><\/th>\r\nbacterium \u2192 bacteria<\/td>\r\ncriterion \u2192 criteria<\/td>\r\nmedium\u00a0\u2192 media<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Singular -is<\/em>; Plural -es<\/em><\/th>\r\nthesis\u00a0\u2192 theses<\/td>\r\nanalysis\u00a0\u2192 analyses<\/td>\r\ncrisis\u00a0\u2192 crises<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nThe rules presented in the table above are almost always followed, but as a borrowed word becomes more popular in its usage, it\u00a0can be\u00a0adopted into regular pluralization. For example, formulas<\/em> and\u00a0appendixes<\/em> are accepted words in formal situation. Additionally,\u00a0in informal speech, cactuses<\/em>\u00a0and funguses<\/em>\u00a0are acceptable.\r\n
    Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Because of the word's history,\u00a0octopuses<\/em> is preferred to\u00a0octopi<\/em>, but\u00a0octopi<\/em> is an accepted word.<\/div>\r\n
    \r\n

    Practice<\/h3>\r\nLook at each word in the table below. Identify if the words is singular or plural, then write the other\u00a0version of the word and explain which\u00a0rule the\u00a0plural has used in its formation. For example:\r\n
      \r\n \t
    • stimuli<\/em>\u00a0is the plural of\u00a0stimulus<\/i>.\u00a0The singular ends with a\u00a0-us<\/em>, so the plural ends with an\u00a0-i<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
    • ox<\/em>\u00a0is the singular\u00a0of oxen<\/i>. This is an -en<\/em> noun. To form the plural,\u00a0an\u00a0-en<\/em> was added.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
      reefs<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\nboys<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\nwaltz<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
      memorandum<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\nhypothesis<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\nphenomena<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
      focus<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\nvertebra<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\nappendices<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
      children<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\nsquid<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\nman<\/td>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"1\"][\/practice-area]<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"245005\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"245005\"]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
      reefs<\/td>\r\nreefs<\/em> is the plural of\u00a0reef<\/em>. -s<\/em> is added. It is an exception to the rule.<\/td>\r\nboys<\/td>\r\nboys<\/em> is the plural of\u00a0boy<\/em>. -s <\/em>is added because the\u00a0y\u00a0<\/em>follows a vowel<\/td>\r\nwaltz<\/td>\r\nwaltz<\/em>\u00a0is the singular of waltzes<\/em>. -es<\/em> is added because the word ends in\u00a0z<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
      memorandum<\/td>\r\nmemorandum<\/em>\u00a0is the singular\u00a0of memoranda<\/em>. The singular ends with -um<\/em>, so the plural ends with -a<\/em>.<\/td>\r\nhypothesis<\/td>\r\nhypothesis<\/em> is the singular\u00a0of hypotheses<\/em>. The singular ends with -is<\/em>, so the plural ends with -es<\/em>.<\/td>\r\nphenomena<\/td>\r\nphenomena<\/em> is the plural of phenomenon<\/em>. The singular ends with -on<\/em>, so the plural ends with -a<\/em>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
      focus<\/td>\r\nfocus<\/em>\u00a0is the singular\u00a0of foci <\/em>or focuses<\/em>. The singular ends with -us<\/em>, so the plural typically ends with -i<\/em>, but -es<\/em> is also acceptable<\/td>\r\n\u00a0vertebrae<\/td>\r\nvertebrae<\/em> is the plural of vertebra<\/em>. The singular ends with -a<\/em>, so the plural ends with -ae<\/em>.<\/td>\r\nappendices<\/td>\r\nappendices<\/em> is the plural of appendix<\/em>. The singular ends with -ix<\/em>, so the plural ends with -ices<\/em>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
      children<\/td>\r\nchildren<\/em>\u00a0is the plural of child<\/em>. This is an -en<\/em> noun. To form the plural, an -ren<\/em> was added.<\/td>\r\nsquid<\/td>\r\nThis is a no-change plural. The singular and plural have the same form, so squid<\/i> could be singular or plural<\/td>\r\nman<\/td>\r\nman<\/em> is the singular\u00a0of\u00a0men<\/em>. This is a mid-word vowel change plural. The\u00a0a<\/em>\u00a0in man\u00a0<\/em>was changed to an\u00a0e.<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nThere are a lot of ways to categorize nouns: concrete vs. abstract nouns, common vs. proper nouns, count vs. non-count nouns, and\u00a0compound vs. non-compound nouns. Let's take a look at each of these kinds of categorization and see exactly what they each mean.\r\n

      Concrete vs. Abstract Nouns<\/h2>\r\nConcrete nouns are things you can hold, see, or otherwise sense, like\u00a0book<\/em>,\u00a0light<\/em>, or\u00a0warmth<\/em>.\r\n\r\nAbstract nouns, on the other hand, are (as you might expect) abstract concepts, like\u00a0time<\/em> and\u00a0love<\/em>.\r\n
        \r\n \t
      • concrete noun: rock<\/li>\r\n \t
      • abstract noun: justice<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

        Common vs. Proper Nouns<\/h2>\r\nCommon nouns are\u00a0generic words, like tissue<\/em> or\u00a0watch<\/em>. They are\u00a0lower-cased (unless they\u00a0begin a sentence).\u00a0A proper noun, on the other hand, is the name of a specific thing, like the brand name\u00a0Kleenex<\/em> or\u00a0Rolex<\/em>. Proper nouns are always\u00a0capitalized.\r\n
          \r\n \t
        • common noun:\u00a0name<\/li>\r\n \t
        • proper noun: Ester<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
          \r\n\r\nNote:\u00a0<\/strong>This rule also applies to adjectives that are based on proper nouns:\r\n
            \r\n \t
          • It's often difficult to understand Shakespearian language.<\/li>\r\n \t
          • After her encounter with Lukas, Elisa\u00a0vowed to hate all Swiss\u00a0men.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nHowever, when you're talking about\u00a0swiss cheese<\/em>,\u00a0pasteurized milk<\/em>, and\u00a0french fries<\/em>, these adjectives lower-cased. They have a non-literal meaning: the cheese isn't really from Switzerland, Louie Pasteur didn't treat the milk himself, and\u00a0the fries aren't really from France.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

            Count vs. Non-Count Nouns<\/h2>\r\nA count noun<\/strong> (also countable noun<\/strong>) is a noun that can be modified by a numeral (three chairs<\/em>) and that occurs in both singular and plural forms (chair<\/em>, chairs<\/em>). The can also be preceded by words such as a<\/em>, an<\/em>, or the<\/em> (a chair<\/em>).\u00a0Quite literally, count nouns are nouns which can be counted.\r\n\r\nA non-count noun<\/strong> (also mass noun<\/strong>), on the other hand, has none of these properties. It can't be modified by a numeral (three furniture<\/em> is incorrect), occur in singular\/plural (furnitures<\/em> is not a word), or co-occur with a<\/em>, an<\/em>, or the<\/em> (a furniture<\/em> is incorrect). Again, quite literally, non-count nouns are nouns which cannot be counted.\r\n
            \r\n

            Less or\u00a0Fewer? Many or Much?<\/h3>\r\nThe adjectives\u00a0less<\/em> and\u00a0fewer<\/em> are both used to indicate a smaller amount of the noun they modify. Many<\/em> and\u00a0much<\/em> are used to indicate a large amount of something.\u00a0People often will use these pairs words\u00a0interchangeably; however, the words\u00a0fewer<\/em> and\u00a0many<\/em>\u00a0are used with count nouns, while\u00a0less<\/em> and\u00a0much<\/em>\u00a0are used with non-count nouns:\r\n
              \r\n \t
            • The pet day care has fewer<\/strong> dogs than cats this week.<\/li>\r\n \t
            • Next time you make these cookies, you should use less<\/strong> sugar.<\/li>\r\n \t
            • Many<\/strong>\u00a0poets\u00a0struggle\u00a0when they try to determine if a poem is complete or not.<\/li>\r\n \t
            • There's too much<\/strong> goodness in her heart for her own good.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nYou may have noticed that much<\/em> has followed the adverb\u00a0too<\/em> in this example (too much<\/em>). This is because\u00a0you rarely find much<\/em> by itself. You don't really hear people say things like \"Now please leave me alone; I have much<\/em> research to do.\"\u00a0The phrase\u00a0\"a lot of\" has taken its place in current English: \"I have a lot of research to do.\"\u00a0A lot of<\/em>\u00a0can be used in the place of either many<\/em> or much<\/em>:\r\n
                \r\n \t
              • A lot of<\/strong>\u00a0poets\u00a0struggle\u00a0when they try to determine if a poem is complete or not.<\/li>\r\n \t
              • There's a lot of<\/strong>\u00a0goodness in her heart for her own good.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
                \r\n

                Practice<\/h3>\r\nRead the following sentences.\u00a0Choose the correct words to complete each sentence.\r\n
                  \r\n \t
                1. There was (many \/ much) food at the event. There were (less \/ fewer) soups than salads\u00a0and even (less \/ fewer) desserts.<\/li>\r\n \t
                2. Miguel loved studying (outer space \/ outer spaces)\u2014especially different (galaxy \/ galaxies).<\/li>\r\n \t
                3. Arturo had\u00a0too much (water \/ drinks) before his workout.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"842967\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"842967\"]\r\n
                    \r\n \t
                  1. There was\u00a0much<\/strong>\u00a0food at the event. There were fewer<\/strong>\u00a0soups than salads and even (less \/ fewer) desserts.\r\n
                      \r\n \t
                    • Food<\/em> is non-count, so it takes\u00a0much<\/em> not\u00a0many<\/em>.\u00a0Soups<\/em> and\u00a0desserts<\/em> are both count, so they take\u00a0fewer<\/em> not\u00a0less<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                    • Even though\u00a0much<\/em> is technically correct, you may want to use\u00a0a lot<\/em> instead. It has a much less antiquated feel.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                    • Miguel loved studying outer space<\/strong>\u2014especially different galaxies<\/strong>.\r\n
                        \r\n \t
                      • Outer space<\/em> is non-count, so it does not have a plural.\u00a0Galaxy<\/em> is count, so it does have a plural. Since we are talking about different items, there must be more than one, so\u00a0galaxies<\/em> is correct.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                      • Arturo had too much water<\/strong> before his workout.\r\n
                          \r\n \t
                        • Much<\/em>\u00a0must be followed by a non-count noun.\u00a0Of the two options (water<\/em> and drinks<\/em>) water <\/em>is the non-count noun. If\u00a0many<\/em> were used instead of\u00a0much<\/em>, the correct sentence would be \"Arturo had too many\u00a0drinks<\/em> before his workout.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\nChoose the correct word to fill in the blanks\u00a0in the following sentences:\r\n
                            \r\n \t
                          1. You can only be in this line if you have fifteen items or _____.<\/li>\r\n \t
                          2. Evelyn was disappointed in the weather forecast; there was _____\u00a0rain predicted.\u00a0She preferred\u00a0dry weather.<\/li>\r\n \t
                          3. I had a\u00a0lengthy list of my\u00a0_____\u00a0ideas for the project.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"824688\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"824688\"]\r\n
                              \r\n \t
                            1. You can only be in this line if you have fifteen items or fewer<\/strong>.\r\n
                                \r\n \t
                              • Because\u00a0items<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>is a count noun,\u00a0fewer<\/em> is required here.\u00a0This may surprise\u00a0you, since many stores have a \"fifteen items or less\" line, but, using\u00a0less<\/em> is grammatically incorrect. However, the prevalence of this phrase\u00a0has made it so stores\u00a0sound uppity\u00a0if they use fewer<\/em> instead of\u00a0less<\/em>. Some stores are avoiding\u00a0this entire issue\u00a0by saying \"around fifteen items\" instead.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                              • Evelyn was disappointed in the weather forecast; there was a lot of<\/strong>\u00a0rain predicted.\u00a0She preferred\u00a0dry weather.\r\n
                                  \r\n \t
                                • While\u00a0much<\/em> would also fit in this blank, the phrase\u00a0a lot of<\/em> is much more common and more likely to be used.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                • I had a lengthy list of my many<\/strong>\u00a0ideas for the project.\r\n
                                    \r\n \t
                                  • The adjective\u00a0is modifying the count-noun\u00a0ideas<\/em>, so\u00a0many<\/em> is needed in this instance.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

                                    Compound Nouns<\/h2>\r\nA compound noun<\/b> is a noun phrase made up of two nouns, e.g. bus driver<\/i>, in which the first noun acts as a sort of adjective\u00a0for the second one, but without really describing it. (For example, think about the difference between\u00a0a black bird<\/i> and a blackbird<\/i>.)\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1115\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"]\"two Figure 1. A crow is a black bird, while a blackbird is a specific species of bird.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nCompound nouns<\/strong>\u00a0can be made up of two or more other words, but each compound\u00a0has a single meaning.\u00a0There are three typical structures of compound nouns.\r\n

                                    Types of Compound Nouns<\/h3>\r\nCompounds may be written in three different ways:\r\n
                                      \r\n \t
                                    • The solid or closed forms<\/strong> in which two usually moderately short words appear together as one:\u00a0housewife<\/i>, lawsuit<\/i>, wallpaper<\/i>, basketball<\/i>, etc.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                    • The hyphenated form<\/strong> in which two or more words are connected by a hyphen:\u00a0house-build<\/em>er<\/em>,\u00a0single-mind<\/em>ed<\/em>ness<\/em>, rent-a-cop<\/i>,\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0mother-of-pearl<\/i>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                    • The open or spaced form<\/strong> consisting of newer combinations of usually longer words, such as distance learning<\/i>, player piano<\/i>, lawn tennis<\/i>, etc.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nHyphens are often considered a squishy part on language (we'll discuss this further in Text: Hyphens and Dashes). Because of this, you can encounter\u00a0open, hyphenated, and closed forms for the same compound noun, such as the triplets container ship<\/i>\/container-ship<\/i>\/containership<\/i> and particle board<\/i>\/particle-board<\/i>\/particleboard<\/i>.\r\n\r\nIf you're ever in doubt whether a compound should be closed, hyphenated, or open, dictionaries are your best reference.\r\n

                                      Plurals<\/h3>\r\nThe process of making\u00a0compound nouns plural has its own\u00a0set of conventions to follow. In all forms of compound nouns, we pluralize the chief element of a compound word (i.e., we pluralize the primary noun of the compound).\r\n
                                        \r\n \t
                                      • fisherman<\/strong>\u00a0\u2192 fishermen<\/strong><\/li>\r\n \t
                                      • black\u00a0bird<\/strong> \u2192 black\u00a0birds<\/strong><\/li>\r\n \t
                                      • passer<\/strong>by\u2192 passers<\/strong>by<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThe word hand-me-down<\/em>\u00a0doesn't have a distinct primary noun, so\u00a0its plural is\u00a0hand-me-downs<\/em>.\r\n
                                        \r\n

                                        Practice<\/h3>\r\nRead the following sentence.\u00a0Are the compound nouns in each being used correctly? How would you create the plural form of each compound noun?\r\n
                                          \r\n \t
                                        1. Liam has one\u00a0sister in law and one brother in law.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                        2. High blood pressure can lead to\u00a0multiple types of heart disease.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                        3. When I was four, I was determined to be an astronaut, a fire-fighter, and a sous chef.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"921987\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"921987\"]\r\n
                                            \r\n \t
                                          1. Liam has two sisters-in-law<\/strong> and one brother-in-law<\/strong>.\r\n
                                              \r\n \t
                                            • Both compounds should be hyphenated, not compounds.\u00a0Sister<\/em> and\u00a0brother<\/em> are the main parts of each compound, so the correct pluralizations would be\u00a0sisters-in-law<\/em> and\u00a0brothers-in-law<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                            • High blood pressure<\/strong> can lead to\u00a0multiple types of heart disease.\r\n
                                                \r\n \t
                                              • This sentence is correct. The compound should be open (no hyphenation). The correct plural would be\u00a0blood pressures<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                              • When I was four, I was determined to be an astronaut, a firefighter<\/strong>, and a sous-chef<\/strong>.\r\n
                                                  \r\n \t
                                                • Firefighter<\/em>\u00a0compound should be closed (no space or hyphenation). The correct plural would be\u00a0firefighters<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                • Sous-chef<\/em> should be hyphenated. The correct plural would be\u00a0sous-chefs<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

                                                  Nouns are a\u00a0diverse group of words, and they are very common in English. Nouns are a category of words defining things<\/strong>\u2014the name of people\u00a0(Dr. Sanders, lawyers), places (Kansas, factory, home), things (scissors, sheet music, book), or ideas (love, truth, beauty, intelligence).<\/p>\n

                                                  Pluralization<\/h2>\n

                                                  \"IconEnglish has both regular and irregular plural nouns. Regular plurals follow this rule (and other similar rules), but\u00a0irregular plurals are, well, not regular and don’t follow a “standard” rule.<\/p>\n

                                                  Regular\u00a0Plurals<\/h3>\n

                                                  Let’s start with regular plurals: regular plural nouns<\/strong> use established\u00a0patterns to\u00a0indicate there is more than one of a thing. As was\u00a0mentioned earlier, we add the plural suffix –s<\/em> or –es<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>to most words (cats<\/em>, zebras<\/em>, classes<\/em>, foxes, <\/em>heroes<\/em>). Remember that\u00a0when words have a foreign origin (e.g.,Latin, Greek, Spanish), we \u00a0just add the plural suffix –s<\/em>\u00a0(tacos<\/em>, avocados<\/em>, maestros<\/em>).<\/p>\n

                                                  When a word ends in y<\/em>\u00a0and there is a consonant before y<\/em>, we change the y<\/em>\u00a0to i<\/em>\u00a0and add –es<\/em>. Thus\u00a0sky<\/em> becomes\u00a0skies<\/em>. However, if the\u00a0y<\/em> follows another vowel, you simply add an –s<\/em>. (donkeys<\/em>,\u00a0alloys<\/em>). When a word ends in –f<\/em> or –fe<\/em>, we change the f<\/em> to v<\/em>\u00a0and add –es\u00a0<\/em>(calves<\/em>,\u00a0leaves<\/em>). However,\u00a0if there are two terminal f<\/em>s or if\u00a0you still pronounce the f<\/em> in the plural, you simply add an –s<\/em> (cliffs<\/em>,\u00a0chiefs<\/em>).<\/p>\n

                                                  Irregular Plurals<\/h3>\n

                                                  Irregular plurals<\/strong>, unlike regular plurals,\u00a0don’t necessarily follow any particular pattern\u2014instead, they follow a lot of\u00a0different<\/em> patterns. Because of this, irregular plurals require a lot of memorization. If you’re ever in doubt, the dictionary is there for you.<\/p>\n

                                                  The first kind of irregular plural we’ll talk about is the no-change<\/strong> or base plural<\/strong>. In these words, the\u00a0singular noun has the exact same form as the plural (sheep<\/em>,\u00a0fish<\/em>,\u00a0deer<\/em>, moose<\/em>). Most no-change plurals are types of animals. The next type of irregular is the mid-word vowel change<\/strong>. This includes words like\u00a0tooth<\/em>,\u00a0man<\/em>, and\u00a0mouse<\/em>, which become\u00a0teeth<\/em>,\u00a0men<\/em>, and\u00a0mice<\/em>.<\/p>\n

                                                  Note:<\/strong> The plural for a computer mouse (as opposed to the fuzzy animal) can either be mice<\/em> or mouses<\/em>. Some people prefer\u00a0mouses<\/em> as it creates some differentiation between the two words.<\/div>\n

                                                  We also have the\u00a0plural –en<\/em>.<\/strong> In these words –en<\/em> is used as the plural ending instead of –s<\/em> or\u00a0-es<\/em>.<\/p>\n

                                                    \n
                                                  • child\u00a0\u2192 children<\/li>\n
                                                  • ox\u00a0\u2192 oxen<\/li>\n
                                                  • brother\u00a0\u2192 brethren<\/li>\n
                                                  • sister\u00a0\u2192 sistren<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                    Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Brethren<\/em>\u00a0and sistren<\/em>\u00a0are\u00a0antiquated terms that you’re unlikely to run into in your life; however, since these are the only four words in English that use this plural, all four have been included above.<\/div>\n

                                                    The last category of irregular plurals is borrowed words. These words are native to other languages (e.g., Latin, Greek) and have retained the pluralization rules from their original tongue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                                    Singular –us<\/em>; Plural –i<\/em><\/th>\ncactus\u00a0\u2192 cacti<\/td>\nfungus\u00a0\u2192 fungi<\/td>\nsyllabus\u00a0\u2192 syllabi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                                    Singular\u00a0–a<\/em>; Plural –ae<\/em><\/th>\nformula\u00a0\u2192 formulae<\/td>\nvertebra\u00a0\u2192 vertebrae<\/td>\nlarva\u00a0\u2192 larvae<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                                    Singular –ix<\/em>, –ex<\/em>; Plural –ices<\/em>, –es<\/em><\/th>\nappendix\u00a0\u2192 appendices<\/td>\nmatrix \u2192 matrices<\/td>\nindex\u00a0\u2192 indices<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                                    Singular –on<\/em>,\u00a0–um<\/em>; Plural –a<\/em><\/th>\nbacterium \u2192 bacteria<\/td>\ncriterion \u2192 criteria<\/td>\nmedium\u00a0\u2192 media<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                                    Singular –is<\/em>; Plural –es<\/em><\/th>\nthesis\u00a0\u2192 theses<\/td>\nanalysis\u00a0\u2192 analyses<\/td>\ncrisis\u00a0\u2192 crises<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

                                                    The rules presented in the table above are almost always followed, but as a borrowed word becomes more popular in its usage, it\u00a0can be\u00a0adopted into regular pluralization. For example, formulas<\/em> and\u00a0appendixes<\/em> are accepted words in formal situation. Additionally,\u00a0in informal speech, cactuses<\/em>\u00a0and funguses<\/em>\u00a0are acceptable.<\/p>\n

                                                    Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Because of the word’s history,\u00a0octopuses<\/em> is preferred to\u00a0octopi<\/em>, but\u00a0octopi<\/em> is an accepted word.<\/div>\n
                                                    \n

                                                    Practice<\/h3>\n

                                                    Look at each word in the table below. Identify if the words is singular or plural, then write the other\u00a0version of the word and explain which\u00a0rule the\u00a0plural has used in its formation. For example:<\/p>\n

                                                      \n
                                                    • stimuli<\/em>\u00a0is the plural of\u00a0stimulus<\/i>.\u00a0The singular ends with a\u00a0-us<\/em>, so the plural ends with an\u00a0-i<\/em>.<\/li>\n
                                                    • ox<\/em>\u00a0is the singular\u00a0of oxen<\/i>. This is an –en<\/em> noun. To form the plural,\u00a0an\u00a0-en<\/em> was added.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                                      reefs<\/td>\n