The noun: Level b

Plurals of compound nouns In general we make the plural of a compound noun by adding -s to the "base word" (the most "significant" word): singular plural a tennis shoe three tennis shoes one assistant headmaster five assistant headmasters the sergeant major some sergeants major a mother-in-law two mothers-in-law an assistant secretary of state three assistant secretaries of state my toothbrush our toothbrushes a woman-doctor four women-doctors a doctor of philosophy two doctors of philosophy a passerby, a passer-by two passersby, two passers-by Some compound nouns have no obvious "base word" and you may need to consult a dictionary to find the plural: higher-ups also-rans go-betweens has-beens good-for-nothings grown-ups forget-me-nots

EXERCISE 1. Give the plural of the following nouns.

А. А pin, а hat, а fox, а baby, а day, potato, а volcano, а piano, а photo, а knife, а roof, а half, а leaf, а cliff, а chief, а life, а family, а queue, а bath, а berry, а valley, а century, а salmon, а taxi, а person, а penny, а watch, а virtuoso, а lily, а woodworm.

В. А man, а woman, а German, а foot, а tooth, а sheep, а ship, а fish, an ох, а fox, а child, а fireman, а mouse, а swine, а house, а louse, а goose, а mongoose, а deer, а means, а series, а species, аn aircraft, an offspring, а Swiss, а Japanese, а Maltese, а Portuguese, а Chinese, а Milanese.

С. А passer-by, а mother-in-law, а room-mate, а forget­-me-not, а merry-go-round, а fellow-worker, a man-of-war, а school-inspector, а commander-in-chief, а boy-messenger, а personnel-manager, а woman-driver, а man-servant, а hanger-on, а face-lift, а spoonful, а cupful, а boyfriend, а grown-up, an office-block, а workmate.

EXERCISE 2. Consult the table and give the pluгal of the following foreign words.

	Ending	Regular plural	LatinjGreek plural
а	-us	-uses	-i
b	-а	-as	-ае
с	-um	-ums	-а
d	-ех	-exes	-ices
е	-ix	-ixes	-ices
f	-is	- ises	-es
g	-оn	-ons	-а

a) cactus, fungus, radius, stimulus, genius;

b) alga, formula (in science), vertebra, antenna;

с) bacterium, curriculum, datum, medium, memorandum, stratum, millennium;

d) index (in mathematics, in books);

е) appendix (in books, in medicine);

f) analysis, axis, basis, crisis, diagnosis, hypothesis, oasis, parenthesis, thesis;

g) criterion, phеnоmеnоn.

EXERCISE 3. Translate into English.

1. Слово «тысячелетие» в английском языке проис­ходит от латинского слова "mille", которое означа­ет «тысяча». 2. На поверхности этой планеты про­исходят странные явления. 3. Многие школы име­ют разные программы. 4. Каковы критерии оценки этих работ? 5. Мы получили несколько меморанду­мов сегодня утром. 6. Каково содержание этой бу­тылки? 7. Каково обычно содержание сахара в кро­ви? 8. Фундамент дома сделан из камня. 9. Земля вращается вокруг своей оси. 10. Путешественники продвигались по Сахаре, и им постоянно мерещились оазисы. 11. Каков окончательный диагноз? 12. Мы из разных социальных слоев. 13. Многие бактерии вызывают болезни. 14. Это действительно уникальное явление. 15. Эти данные надежны. 16. Кризисы в экономике отражаются на уровне жизни людей.

EXERCISE 4. Use the correct form of the verb.

1. The class (has/have) its final test оn Friday. 2. The class (is/are) working оn their individual projects today. 3. The crew (was/were) asleep in their bunks. 4. The committee (is/are) ready to make the programme public. 5. The family (is/are) fighting among themselves constantly. 6. The fish in the aquarium (is/are) waiting for their daily feeding. 7. The press (was/were) requested to show their credentials to the guard. 8. The Portuguese (is/are) fortunate to have such а beautiful coastline. 9. The criteria for promotion (is/are) clearly stated. 10. Supernatural phenomena (is/are) of great interest to mаnу people. 11. Му family (live/1ives) in а private house. 12. Му family (is/are) early birds. 13. The police (think/thinks) it's the Mafia's doing. 14. What (is/are) the contents of the note?