NOUN: SINGULAR & PLURAL

Seeing that nouns are items, there can be one or more and this means that nouns are either singular or plural. Singular means there is one, plural means there is more than one. Even a fraction more that one means the noun is plural. That is commonly seen in recipes1 1/2 cups milk. And here is a kicker to that so called "less than one" If the item is a zero or a decimal version of less than one it gets the plural treatment. "The scientist measured 0.2 ounces of water and placed it into the test tube that previously contained zero ounces of anything." This does not apply to the 1/2 teaspoon of sugar that the scientist added to his tea.

Ways to show the number of a noun.

1. Add s to the singular form of the noun. - cups, cakes, heaters [ rules ] 2. Add es to the singular form of the noun. [ See below for the rules ] 3. Change the spelling of certain words. [ examples ] Note, some words do not change at all [ examples ] 4. Non-possessive plural nouns can receive 's or not. [ "rules" and reasons for exceptions ]

Common Examples of the Plural and the Possessive Case of Nouns

Regular singular singular possessive plural plural possessive boy boy's boys boys' fox fox's foxes foxes' Irregular goose goose's geese geese's child child's children children's

(Although plural refers to nouns, the rules for adding s or es apply to verbs also.) Hyphenated wordsdaughters-in-law, sons-in-law

Form the plural of most nouns by adding s to the singular

if the word ends in a vowel-y (keys) to words ending in vowel-o to some words ending in consonant-o (memos, autos, pimentos, pros) (see "es" for exceptions) to most words ending in f (see "es" for exceptions) to words ending in silent e

Adding s to Compound Nouns

Add the s to the end of most compound nouns. Examples: cease-fires, cupfuls, six-year-olds, standbys SOME compound nouns contain a word that seems more important that the other words. The important word should be pluralized. Examples: sons-in-law, attorneys general, sergeants-in-arms, courts martial, passersby It is best to look up words in the dictionary to find the plural forms.

Add es to singular nouns ending in s, ch, sh, x, or z

if the noun ends in s, ch, sh, x, or z (churches, watches, ashes, Rogerses) if the noun ends in consonant-y, change y to i and add es. (baby-babies) to some one syllable nouns ending in a single f or fe: change f or fe to v when you can hear the v sound in the plural form, then add es (Verb forms don't usually change.) leaf: leaves (noun) leafs (verb)

to some words ending in consonant-o: echo, potato, tomato, hero, veto, torpedo

The plurals of proper nouns are formed using the same rules as above [for s and es], except do not change the spelling. one James - two Jameses, one Holly - two Hollys, the Youngs, the Davises, the Grinches

Change the spelling of some words, rather than adding s or es.

foot - feet child - children louse -lice man - men tooth - teeth ox - oxen mouse -mice goose -geese woman - women analysis - analyses alga - algae medium - media alumnus - alumni curriculum - curricula criterion - criteria larva - larvae

Some words are the same for both the plural and singular form.
aircraft, barracks, deer, sheep, species, moose, bison, swine, grouse, fish*, salmon, pike, trout, etc *Fish- There are some uses for the word fishes.

When Does Apostrophe-s Show Plural but Not Possession?

Apostrophe s is added to form the plural of items being discussed. But sometimes only s is added. Apostrophe s is added to form the plural of items being discussed. But sometimes only s is added.

lower-case letters numbers symbols abbreviations words being discusses as words

Of course if you get a job with a newspaper you need to check their style specifications regarding when one may add apostrophe s to show plural. *entities of authority I'm referring to books, tests, instructors, and bosses. Below I am going to go over some contentious points about using apostrophe s to show plural. Some points are in a phase of change, meaning, some *entities of authority still use apostrophe sin certain cases to show plural while others do not.

Examples: Letters
His f's were like b's and his 8's were like 3's. Contentious Point: Adding 's to numbers to show plural is considered old fashioned by some but not everyone. The sentence could also be written like this: His f's were like b's and his 8s were like 3s. My question would beIs it good style to omit the apostrophe from the numbers while using them on letters in the same sentence/paper? After all consistency in your essay leads to the reader's comprehension. In other words, do not make your reader pause over inconsequential items like apostrophe use. What if you wrote the sentence using no apostrophes. His fs were like bs and his 8s were like 3s. <- Is that unclear. Does "bs" seem like something unsuitable for a paper? I'd say yes, it seems wrong to leave off the apostrophe in "bs." So now we are back to adding 's to the letters and the numbers -- maybe. If you were my student, I'd say to use the apostrophe s to show plural on both numbers and letters [with exceptions] in your entire paper. A different *entity of authority might have a different requirement. John earned two Ph.D.'s [Note the periods] John earned two PhDs. He made straight A's. [without 's > He made straight As. And one might ask, "Straight as what?"]

Exceptions occur when there will be no confusion

dos and don'ts [note the italics] IQs [note the lack of italics] the three Rs [note the lack of italics]

Examples: Words
She had too many very's in her paper. [note the italics] Contentious Point: Must very's be italicized? I do not know. She had too many verys in her paper. Contentious Point: The apostrophe can be omitted if the sentence remains clear. Do you think the second sentence is clear?

Underlining and Italics

When underlining the letters, signs, and figures, do not underline the 's. [ A's ] When using italics, there is no need to underline. [ A's ] But do you have to do one or the other? I don't know.

What about Years & Numbers?

In the past and even now, the 's was used with a year such as - 1950's. BUT now you do not have to add the 's as long as you remain consistent throughout your paper UNLESS the entities of authority require the use of 's. If you write 1800s at first, be sure to leave off the apostrophe in all remaining decades [1900s, 2000s, etc]. The same goes for numbers: 9s, 10s, 20s, but stay consistent. At the same time, this is still a contentious point. For instance a college entrance exam might prefer 1900's over 1900s, but how will you know?

Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning. Countable There are two hairs in my coffee! There are two lights in our bedroom. hair Uncountable I don't have much hair. Close the curtain. There's too much light!

light

Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise.

It's difficult to work when there is too

There are so many different noises in noise much noise. the city. Have you got a paper to read? (newspaper) Hand me those student papers. Our house has seven rooms. We had a great time at the party. How many times have I told you no? Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest works. room Is there room for me to sit here? Have you got time for a coffee? I want to draw a picture. Have you got paper some paper?

time

work

I have no money. I need work!

Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example):

Two teas and one coffee please.

Propositional Phrases Propositional phrases or prepositional phrase is a phrase consisting of a preposition and a prepositional object (object of the preposition). Preposition in a prepositional object can be a noun phrase, pronoun, or noun phrases.

Example preposition phrases: - On the Internet

- In the room - By the ocean - Near the window - Over the cabinet - With us - In your ear - Under your hat - Below sea level

In fact, in a sentence, phrase prepositions can have more number of words, depending on the object preposition length or the number of words that accompany the preposition in a sentence conveying meaning. For example: - Near the violently swaying oak trees - On account of his nearly depleted bank account

In this sentence, the prepositional phrase does not only function as a preposition phrase itself, but it also can function as adjectives and adverbs.

Prepositional phrase that acts as an adjective is called adjective phrases. As with any adjective, adjective phrase also serves to explain noun or pronoun. To find a phrase prepositional phrases that function as adjectives, ask questions such as "Which one?" Or "What kind?" To recognize in a sentence.

Examples of prepositional phrases as adjective phrases: - The [cost of the jeans] was surprisingly high. - The [clown with the mask] terrifies the children. - The [man in the house] rented it.

Prepositional phrase acting as an adverb is called an adverb phrase. Similarly, the adverb, adverb phrase also serves to explain verb, adjective, or adverb. To find a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverb phrase, it can be asked questions such as "Where?" "When?" "In what manner" "To what extent?" To recognize it in a sentence.

Examples of prepositional phrase as adverb phrase: - The Mets [played at Shea Stadium.] - The game [lasted into the Fourteenth inning.] - He [went in the arena.] - Dad was [happy about the goal.] - On reflection, I believe that she was correct.

Two or more prepositional phrases can be combined using coordinating conjunctions. For example:

- The resort is [beside the mountain and by the lake.] - You can find Macho Usually Marvin [in the steam room, on the exercise bike, or under the barbells.]

Past Participles III is the past participle of the verb Verb. Example: taught, studied, left, cooked Using the Past Participle Structure Questions often confusing because neniliki two functions, ie part of a verb (the verb) danadjective (adjective). 1. As part of a verb Past participle will serve as part of a verb (the verb) when accompanied by have, has, had and be (am, is, are, was, were). Example: The mailman has left a letter in the mailbox. (Left is part of a verb) The classes were taught by Professor Smith. (Taught is part of a verb) Analysis: In the first sentence, left is part of the job because it was accompanied by the word has. In the second sentence, is taught as part of a curry accompanied by the verb be (were) 2. As an adjective Past Participle serves as an adjective (adjective) if not accompanied with have, has, had or be (am, is, are, and were).

Example: The letter was left in the mailbox for me. (Left is ADJECTIVE) The classes taught by Professor Smith were very interesting. (Taught is ADJECTIVE) Analysis: left is because it is not accompanied by the adjective has / have or to be. SedangkanSubject of the first sentence is the letter and its Verb is was. taught is because it is not accompanied by the adjective has / have or to be. While Subject and verb of the sentence and the second is The classes were. Example below shows how the past participle can be confusing.

The _____ bread baked this morning smelled delicious.

(A) has (B) was (C) it (D) just Analysis: baked bukanlan part of a verb, but an adjective. Verb of the sentence above adalahsmelled and its Subject is the bread. Answer (A) and (B) is incorrect because it does not require baked adjective and helping verb. Answer (C) is incorrect because the sentence above already has a Subject. The best answer is just.

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EXERCISE 4: Each of the following sentences contains one or more past participles. Circle the past participles, and label them as adjectives or verbs. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I). 1. The food is served in this restaurant is delicious. (Incorrect) Analysis: is served should be served just as it serves as an adjective. While it is Subject Verb The food and it is IS. The correct sentence is the food served in this restaurant is delicious. 2. The plane landed on the deserted runway. (Correct) Analysis: Subject is The place and Verb is landed Deserted is the adjective 3. The unexpected guests arrived just at dinnertime. (Correct) Analysis: unexpected is the adjective. Her subject is a Verb and his guests arrived. 4. The courses are listed in the catalog are required courses. (Incorrect) Analysis: Listed are listed and should only serve as an adjective and not part of a verb. Her subject is and verbnya courses are required. 5. The teacher found the lost exam. (Correct) Analysis: lost is the adjective. Her subject is the teacher while verbnya is found.

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6. The small apartment very crowded and disorganized. (Incorrect) Analysis: Above sentence has no verb of be, is. The correct sentence is small apartment is very crowded and disorganized. 7. The photographs developed yesterday Showed Sam and his friends. (Correct) Analysis: developed to function as an adjective. Subject and verb it is his photographs are Showed. 8. The locked drawer contained the unworn jewels. (Correct)

Analysis: locked and unworn serves as an adjective. Her subject is the drawer and verbya is contained. 9. The tree was blown over in the storm was cut into logs. (Incorrect) Analysis: was blown should be blown only and serve as an adjective rather than part of a verb. Correct sentence should be The tree blown over in the storm was cut into logs. 10. The students registered in this course are listed on that sheet of paper. (Correct) Analysis:

registered function as an adjective. Her subjects are students and are verbnya are listed.

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Previous Skill <---- skill 4 : Past Participle Many sentences in English have more than one clause. (A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb.) When you have two clauses in an English sentence, you must connect the two clauses correctly. One way to connect two clauses is to use and, but, or, or so between the clauses. (Indonesian Version) The sun was shining and the sky was blue. The sky was blue, but it was very cold. It may rain tonight, or it may be clear. It was raining outside, so I took my umbrella. In each of these examples, there are two clauses that are correctly joined with a coordinate connector and, but, or, or soand a comma (,). The following example shows how this sentence pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test. Example I forgot my coat, ____ I got very cold. (A) then (B) so (C) later (D) as a result In this example, you should notice quickly that there are two clauses, I forgot my coat and I got very cold. This sentence needs a connector to join the two clauses. Then, later, and as a result are not connectors, so answers (A), (C), and (D) are not correct. The best answer is answer (B) because so can connect two clauses in this manner. The following chart lists the coordinate connectors and the sentence pattern used with them.

EXERCISE 5: Each of the following sentences contains more than one clause. Underline the subjects once and the verbs twice. Circle the connectors. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I). 1. The lawn needs water every day, or it will turn brown. (C) Analysis:

Both clauses are correct and coordinate connector is correct. 2. The book was not long, it difficult to read. (I)
Analysis:

Second clause should be it is difficult to read. There is not coordinate connector. 3. It was raining, so decided not to go camping. (I)

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Analysis:

Second clause has no Subject. 4. The material has been cut, and the pieces have been sewn together. (C)
Analysis:

Both clauses are correct and coordinate connector is correct too. 5. The patient took all the medicine, he did not feel much better. (I)
Analysis:

Both clauses are correct but there is no coordinate connector 6. The bill must be paid immediately, or the electricity will be turned off. (C)
Analysis:

Both clauses are correct and coordinate connector is correct, too 7. The furnace broke so the house got quite cold. (I)
Analysis: Both clauses are correct, but there is no comma. It should be The furnace broke, so the house got quite cold. 8. The dress did not cost too much, but the quality it seemed excellent. (I) Analysis: Second clause has two subject; the quality and it. It should be the quality seemed excellent. Coordinate connector is correct. 9. The leaves kept falling off the trees, and the boys kept raking them up, but the yard was still covered. (C) Analysis:

All clauses and coordinate are connectors correct, too. 10. The mail carrier has already delivered the mail, so the letter is not going to arrive today, it probably will arrive tomorrow. (I)
Analysis:

All clauses are correct, but coordinate connector So is wrong. So should be changed with but.

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