2.6. Translate into English and explain the use of a plural or singular form of the noun.

1. Правительство не популярно.

2. В этой игре «Манчестер Юнайтид» играет плохо.

3. Математика его любимый предмет.

4. Его одежда старая и грязная.

5. Товар все еще не разгружен.

6. Вся семья в сборе.

7. Книга – источник знаний.

8. Пять километров – небольшое расстояние.

9. В эти минуты полиция допрашивает двух человек.

10. Новости в 6 часов вечера.

11. У нее красивые волосы.

12. Купи 5 кг картошки и полкило морковки.

13. У нас есть разные сыры и вина.

14. Вода замерзает при 0С.

15. Мне нужна новая мебель.

***

English nouns have three grammatical categories: number, case and gender.

UNIT 3 N U M B E R

Most nouns make a distinction between singular and plural numbers, they are variable (a student – students).

But some nouns are invariable, they have only one form, singular (news) or plural (trousers).

3. 1. Variable nouns Regular plurals

1. Most nouns form their plurals by adding -s to the singular: daughter – daughters, son – sons, mouth – mouths.

2. Nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z add -es to the singular: a dish – dishes, a match -- matches.

3. Nouns ending in -y preceded by a consonant change the -y to -i and add -es: a lily – lilies, baby -- babies.

4. Nouns ending in -y preceded by a vowel keep the -y and add -s: a day – days

5. The majority of nouns ending in -o add -es when forming their plurals: a hero – heroes.

6. Compound nouns written as one word make their plurals by adding -s/-es: sunrise – sunrises or by vowel shift if the second part of the compound needs it: postman – postmen.

7. Compound nouns consisting of a noun plus a modifier pluralize the modified word, NOT the modifier: passer-by – passers-by. If the first part of the compound noun is the word man or woman, then both the parts of the compound become plural: a man-servant – men-servants, a woman-doctor – women-doctors.

8. Letters, signs, and words as countable items add an apostrophe plus -s: one l – two l's, one no – three no's, in 1990 – in the 1990's

E x e r c i s e s

3.1. Put the nouns into plural and explain the use of the form.

a) A star, a cloud, a bird, a bottle, a person, a train, a desk, a student, a teacher, a dog, an M.A. degree, a speaker, a lecture, a thing, a machine, a lawyer, an economist;

b) boss, horse, house, gas, class, church, dish, judge, place, prize, tax, waltz;

c) a bottle, a cottage, an egg, an orange, a car, a book, a house, a box, an elephant, a rose, a waltz, a tax, a doll, a desk, a boss, a glass, a dish, a bee, a match, an answer;

d) army, factory, penny, laboratory, city, country, spy, lily;

e) day, boy, key, journey, toy, valley, chimney;

f) buffalo, cargo, domino, embargo, echo, hero, mosquito, potato, tomato;

g) cupful, leftover, schoolboy, housewife, postman, sportsman;

h) notary public, brother-in-law, man-of-war, attorney general, editor-in-chief; hotel-keeper, watch-maker;

i) one c, one but, in 1980.