THE NOUN

Definition:
A noun is the name of anything that may be the subject of discourse. The chief
criteria by which nouns are distinguished from other parts of speech are the
formation of plural by the means of the ending –s and the formation of the
genitive in ‘s, or the capability of the noun of taking an adjunct such as an
adjective.

The Plural of the Nouns.

Definition:
The form assumed by a noun to show whether it denotes one thing or more than
one is called the number. When one thing is spoken of, the noun is in SINGULAR;
when two or more things are spoken of the noun is in PLURAL.

The Regular Plural

Some nouns form the plural in a regular way by adding the inflection ’s’: girl/girls.

Addition of –es!

Nouns ending in –s, -z, z,-x, -ch , -ss, -zz, add -es to the singular noun to build the
plural: box/ boxes, tax/ taxes.

Nouns ending in -th usually adding – s only: mouth/mouths, path/paths.

After a fricative sound: (s, sh...) we add –es: dress-dresses

After a consonant +y we add –ies: city-cities

Some nouns ending in –o receiver at the plural-oes: hero-heroes

The Irregular Plural

But in this category we have also: potato, tomato-tomatoes, negro, echo.

Note: At the words of foreign origin this rule is not applicable: kilos, pianos, tobaccos,
studios, radios, photos etc.

Nouns ending in –fe or –f receiver in plural form –ves: life-lives.

In this category we can also add: knife, wife, leaf, loaf, thief, calf, half, wolf, shelf.

Exceptions: beliefs, briefs, chiefs, handkerchiefs, proofs, reefs, roofs.

Words of foreign origin keep their original form:

Analysis-analyses, bacterium-bacteria, bacillus-bacilli, basis-bases, crisis-crises,

minimum-minima, phenomenon-phenomena, , stimulus-stimuli.

Some nouns have irregular forms of plural:

Child-children mouse-mice

Foot-feet ox-oxen

Goose-geese tooth-teeth

Louse-lice woman-women

Man-men

By some nouns the plural form is the same as the singular form.

Fish-fish

In this category we have:

a) Sheep, salmon, trout, deer, grouse

b) Name of nationalities that end in –ese: Japanese
c) Technical apparatus that end in –craft: aircraft
d) French, Swiss.

The Plural of Compound Nouns

 If there is a noun and its sphere of notion is larger than the plural appears at this
noun: daughters-in-law, the s appears at daughter, because the compound noun
has the main sense of daughter and not law!
 If none of the nouns has the bigger sphere on notion than the plural form is at the
end of the compound noun: grown-ups!
 In the combinations with man\woman+noun both of the nouns receive the plural
because in this case we have membership to a sex group: women-clerks.

There are nouns that have only the singular form or only plural form and their sense
does not necessarily correspond with the form. Here we distinguish the following
groups:
 Nouns that have singular form and together with which the verb is at singular.
a) Names of materials: Butter, coal, wood, water, iron, salt, oil.
Ex: Butter is on special offer.
b) Some collective nouns(many of the with the ending in -ry) like for ex:
jewellery, machinery, crockery, garbage, luggage, hair, furniture etc. My
luggage is still in the car.
c) Many abstract nouns such as:
Advice, information, knowledge, damage, progress, strength, confusion,
work, advice, homework etc. EX: His advice was very good.
Note: Some of the words from group a) can obtain the plural by
adding a piece of...
EX: a piece of information
A piece of furniture
 Nouns that have a singular form, but their sense is plural and the concord
verb is also in plural. From this category the following collective nouns take
part only when we refer to them as an activity or when we refer to the state of
the members of the group that are taken in to consideration: police, family, staff,
crew, band, choir, orchestra, government, company, firm, class, club, audience,
cattle, group, party, jury, people etc.
EX: The band are taking their instruments.
Note: Daca se face referire la totalitatea grupului, verbul sta la singular. (If we
are referring to the tatality of the group, the verb sits at singular).
EX: The band is playing my favourite song.
 Nouns that have a plural form, but a singular meaning and with which the
corresponding verb sits at the plural. From this category we have:
a) Words with sense of pair, namely designations of objects which consists of
two identical parts: scales, trousers, shorts, binoculars, glasses, scissors,
jeans, tights, earphones, pyjamas etc.
EX: Your trousers are on the bed. Note: If we underline the fact that we are talking
about single object, than we add a pair of : a pair of glasses.
b) The following words: stairs, goods, clothes, belongings, wages, outskirts.
 Nouns that have a plural form but a singular meaning and with which the verb sits at
the singular. Here we have:
a) Names of disciplines with the ending in –cs:
Mathematics, Physics, politics, linguistics, economics etc.
Politics is my favourite subject.
b) Some diseases such as: mumps, measles. Measles is a children’s disease.
c) New and United States: The United States is a beautiful country.
d) Some games, for example: darts, dominoes, billiards etc. Darts is played in pubs.
 The Genitive
The Genitive with –s and the genitive with of!
The genitive with –S (Saxon Genitive)
-is used to show people and animals that something is belonging to them. EX: Father’s
car.

Forming the S genitive: Singular: The singular form of the noun+ ‘s

Plural: The plural form of the noun+ ‘(if the plural of the noun ends in ‘s)

EX; Mary’s book, the boys’ book.

Note: The singular genitive means that the owner is a single individual.

The plural genitive mean that the owners are several beings.

The number of the possessed objects ( ex books) does not affect has no effect on the
forming of the genitive. EX: Tom’s book

Tom’s books.

To take into consideration!

If the noun has no plural in –s, then the genitive is formed line in the singular form! The
women’s dresses!

If noun already has at the singular form an –s, then the genitive is formed just like a
noun in the plural: Mr Evans’ house!

USAGE

We use the –s genitive:

- At persons and animals : the boy’s pullover, the dog’s bone.

- Measuring time : an hours’ walk, 2years’experience.
- For the designation of stores, houses etc. At the butcher’s, at the doctor’s, at the
Millers. (when there are several possessors we use the plural genitive).
- Often by name of states: Britain’s problems.
The genitive with –of
Forming: Singular: of+article\pronoun+ noun at singular: the colour of the car.

Plural: of+article\pronoun+ noun at plural:the color of the cars.

Usage:
-designation of place: End of the road.

-by individuals when a long attribute follows: the house of our reporter stations in
London.

Double Genitive
The Double Genitive is a combination of the of genitive and the –s genitive.

EX: a play of Shakespeare’s.

USAGE
-with persons if a partial relation is expressed: a friend of Peter’s (some of Peter’s
friends, thus he has other friends).

-after, a, some, any, several or numeral+ noun: some of Peter’s books.

The –s Genitive without a Referent

The –s Genitive can exist without a reference word after it, when:

-a noun is already recalled and doesn’t need to be repeated: If you haven’t got a bag,
you can have my mother’s. (bag)

-by stores, apartments etc. When the noun house, flat is already understood: at the
Baker’s, at the Butcher’s etc.

The GENDER
In the English language we have three genders: masculine, feminine and neutral.

How do we make the difference? Easy: First of all the noun that denote persons of
masculine gender are in the masculine (man, father, grandfather, son etc.) and the ones
that denote persons of feminine gender are in the feminine (mother, daughter, sister,
woman etc.)

Nouns that denote names of objects, animals, phenomena etc are considered to be
neutral and can be replaced with the pronoun it: bag, mouse, thunder, rain etc.

The common gender is used to name nouns with a single form both for the feminine as
well as the masculine (in function of their sex): teacher, doctor, friend, horse, sheep, etc.

Observations:

1) Animals can named through a pronoun by the masculine or feminine gender (in
function of their sex) in the following situations:

- from affective motives(animals to which the narrator cares a lot). This is my cat. Her
name is Tree.

- when we are talking about a personification. In this case the big animals or those that
are considered to be strong receive the masculine (horse, ox, lion, eagle, tiger etc.) and
the ones considered to be small receive the feminine ( mouse, sparrow, parrot etc.).

2) In the case of the personifications the following rules apply:

a) Masculine are the nouns which:

-denote powerful or dangerous natural disasters, mountains, rivers: wind, hurricane,

storm, blizzard, summer, winter.

-denote powerful or violent feelings: death, hate, anger, love, crime, fear, thrills, etc.

Are in the feminine the nouns that denote:

-pleasant aspects from nature: spring, morning, sea, moon, evening

-abstractions: victory, liberty, memory

-negative character properties: pride, envy, jealousy

-positive feelings: pity, wisdom, friendship

The gender of the noun different forms!

Some nouns use the feminine gender differently, either by adding a suffix which
indicates the gender, either through the use of a different word for the feminine gender.
Through a suffix:

MASCULIN FEMININ
ambassador ambassadress
actor actress
author authoress
baron baroness
count countess
duke duchess
god goddess
heir heiress
lion lioness
master mistress
negro negress
prince princess
tiger tigress
waiter waitress

hero heroine