Practice Activities: Nouns

Plural Nouns

Here are some additional exercises to practice using nouns:

Regular Plural Nouns

Look at each plural word in the table below. Write the singular version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:

  • vultures is the plural of vulture. Despite vultures ending in –es, you simply add an –s to form the plural, as the e is a part of the singular word.
  • fries is the plural of fry. To form the plural, the y was changed to an i, and we added –es.
trees sopranos watches
tomatoes waltzes wrists
reefs leaves flies
cafes caves boys

Irregular Plural Nouns

Look at each plural word in the table below. Write the singular version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:

  • oxen is the plural of ox. This is an –en noun. To form the plural, an -en was added.
  • stimuli is the plural of stimulus. The singular ends with a -us, so the plural ends with an -i.
children moose teeth
squid men lice
memoranda hypotheses phenomena
parentheses emphases nuclei
foci  vertebrae  appendices

Regular and Irregular Plural Nouns

Look at each word in the table below. Identify if the words is singular or plural, then write the other version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:

  • stimuli is the plural of stimulus. The singular ends with a -us, so the plural ends with an -i.
  • ox is the singular of oxen. This is an –en noun. To form the plural, an -en was added.
chiefs toys quiz
bacterium crisis criteria
octopus larvae indices
wolves sheep woman

Count v. Non-Count Nouns

Many? Much? Fewer? Less?

Read the following sentences. Choose the correct words to complete each sentence.

  1. There was (many / much) food at the event. There were (less / fewer) soups than salads and even (less / fewer) desserts.
  2. As a geologist, Liam spends a lot of time around (rock / rocks) and (dirt / dirts).
  3. Arturo had too much (water / drinks) before his workout.

Compound Nouns

Read the following sentence. Are the compound nouns in each being used correctly? How would you create the plural form of each compound noun?

  1. Idrissa has two sister in laws and one brother in law.
  2. High blood pressure can lead to multiple types of heart disease.
  3. When I was four, I was determined to be an astronaut, a fire-fighter, and a sous chef.

Nouns

Identify errors in the following as you read the passage:

  • pluralization
  • count vs. non-count nouns
  • common vs. proper nouns
  • compound nouns

Explain why each error is incorrect, and explain how to correct the error. The sentences have been numbered to help you organize your comments.

(1) Marie Curie, who conducted pioneering research on radio-activity, was the first woman to win a nobel prize, the first person to win twice, and the only person to win twice in multiple sciencees (she won in physics and chemistries). (2) She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris.

(3) In 1910—four years after the death of her husband—Curie succeeded in isolating radium; she also defined an international standard for radioactive emissions that was eventually named for her and Pierre: the curie. (4) Her achievementes included the development of the theory of radioactivity (a term that she coined), the creation of techniques to isolate radioactive isotopes, and the discovery of two elements: a polonium and a radium.