Singular, Plural Nouns; count nouns and noncount nouns.

Using Singular Nouns

English nouns can be divided into two categories: count nouns and noncount nouns.
A count noun is singular when there is one of the person, place, or thing it names.

When a noun is singular, use a or an before it.
Use a if it begins with a consonant sound; use an if it begins with a vowel sound.

Use a or an before a singular noun to answer the question "What... ?"

• What do you do?
  I'm a secretary.
  I'm an actor.


• What is it?
  It's a banana.
  It's an apple.


• What do you want?
  I want a house.
  I want an apartment.

Use the number one before a singular noun to answer the question "How many ... ?"

• How many cars do you have?
  We have one car.


• How many English classes are there?
  There is one class.

Use "There is . . . " before a singular noun to indicate that it exists.

• There is an accountant in my family.


• There is a library on the corner.


• There is only one bus stop on this street.

Using Plural Nouns

A count noun is plural when there is more than one of the person, place, or thing it names.
To make a singular noun plural:

• Add -s:

• one tree- three trees


• one word- four words


• one sister- two sisters

• Add -es to a few words that end in -o:

• one echo- two echoes


• one mosquito- three mosquitoes


• one tomato- four tomatoes


• one hero- four heroes


• one potato- two potatoes


• one tornado- two tornadoes

• Add -es to nouns that end in -ch, -sh, -ss, and -x:

• one beach- two beaches


• one dish- four dishes


• one dress- two dresses


• one fax- three faxes

• Add -ies to nouns that end in a consonant followed by -y, after dropping the -y.

• one city  two cities


• one country-  four countries


• one family-  two families


• one puppy-  six puppies

• Add -ves to nouns that end in -for -fe, after dropping the -for -fer.

• one calf- two calves


• one half- two halves


• one leaf- three leaves


• one knife- five knives

• Use an irregular form for certain nouns:

• 
  
  
  
  • one child- two children
  
  
  • one man- four men
  
  
  • one person- three people
  
  
  • one tooth- four teeth
  
  
  • one mouse- three mice
  
  
  • one woman- three women
  
  
  • one foot- two feet
  
  
  
  

• Use the singular form for the plural for certain nouns:

• one deer- three deer


• one sheep- four sheep


• one fish- two fish

Use are there and a plural noun in a question to ask if any exist and how many:

• Are there any cars in your driveway?


• How many cars are there?
  


• How many houses are there on this street?


• How many pages are there in this book?

Use there are followed by any number from two on up before a plural noun to tell how many of them exist:

• There are two cars in the driveway.


• There are ten houses on this street.


• There are 208 pages in this book.

Use there are before the word no when it indicates zero. No is followed by a plural noun:

• There are no cars in the driveway.


• There are no houses on this street.

Not any can be used instead of no to indicate zero:

• There are not any cars in the driveway.
  There aren't any cars in the driveway.


• There are not any houses on this street.
  There aren't any houses on this street.