1 are speaking of one thing-a single thing-is called the Singular Number; the form used when we are speaking of more than one is called the Plural' Number. 116. The Plural Number is now most commonly formed by addings to the Singular; as : Pen. Cat. Pencil. Desk. Bottle. Picture. Board. Fire. Rug. Poker. Wall. House. Garden. Tree. Horse. Colt. Gate. Door. Window. Flower. Rose. Stone. Grocer. Letter. Basket. Sob. Rock. Bud. Eye. Egg. Rook. Crow. Bird. Beast. Fig. Marble. Ring. Hoop. Friend. Servant. Frame. Vase. Metal. Hand. Leg. b. Give fifty other Nouns which form their Plurals by the addition of s to the Singular. 117. The Plural Number was once most commonly formed by adding es to the Singular. Es is still added to Nouns ending in 8, x, 1 Singular from the Latin singular-is, single, from singuli, one by one. "Plural from the Latin plural-is, more than one, from plus (genitive plur-is), more. Give the Plural of :— Exercise 85. Moss. Mass. Pass. Guess. Mess. Miss. Glass. Class. Omnibus. Patch. Peach. Batch. Latch. Leech. Breach. Witch. Hitch. Watch. Hutch. Brooch. Coach. Bench. Wrench. Bush. Wish. Hash. Dish. Mesh. Blush. Brush. Tax. Buzz. *118.' When the Singular Number ends in y following a vowel,2 the Plural is formed by adding &; if the y does not follow a vowel the Plural is formed by changing the y into i and adding es ; as:— Ally. Alley. Abbey. Baby. Berry. Beauty. Chimney. Body. Donkey. Copy. Essay. Dairy. Jockey. Bay. Day. Toy. Journey. Eddy. Kidney. Key. Quay. Ferry. Turkey. Jelly. Jury. Gipsy. Monkey. Lily. Pulley. Puppy. Penny. Pony. Poppy. Reply. Ruby. Gallery. Galley. Joy. Delay. Buoy. *119. Some Nouns ending in ƒ or fe change the ƒ into v, and the Plural ends in ves, as half, halves; knife, knives: but a great many simply add 8 to the singular, as reef, reefs. Give the Plural of :— Exercise 87. Calf. Wife. Shelf. Elf. Leaf. Loaf. Thief. Staff. Fife. Proof. Scarf. Chief. Hoof. Roof. Dwarf. Wharf. Cliff. es. *120. Some Nouns ending in o add s in the Plural and some add In most cases custom alone decides which shall be added. 1 See "Notes for Teachers," p. 323, Note 22 (last sentence). That is, a, e, i, o, or u. The following add es:-Bravo. Buffalo. Calico. Cargo. Echo. Flamingo. Hero. Motto. Negro. Potato. Tomato. Volcano. The following add s:-Canto. Rondo. Solo. Domino. Octavo. Quarto. Duodecimo. Grotto. Tyro. Mosquito. Folio. Portfolio. Nuncio. Oratorio. 121. A few Nouns form their Plural Numbers, not by adding es or 8, but in other ways once more common than now: 122. Collective Nouns (see Exercise 80) may be Singular; as, army, crew, score, group. Plural; as, armies, crews, scores, groups. 2 *123. Some Nouns have the same form for Singular and Plural; as deer, sheep, swine, fish, grouse; and, after numerals, score, dozen, pair; as "ten dozen eggs.” *124. Some Nouns have no Singular; as alms, banns, bellows, riches, scissors, shears, snuffers, spectacles, trousers, oats, odds, wages, premises, vespers, victuals. *125. Some words, though Plural in form, are generally or always used as Singulars; as, news, summons, molasses, means, politics, mathe matics, billiards, etc. 1 Brothers is now the regular Plural for brother (in a family). *126. Some Nouns have two Plurals, with different meanings; as, brothers, brethren; peas, pease (collective); dies, dice (for gaming) ; indexes, indices; shots, shot (collective). Exercise 88. a. Say what is the Number of each Noun. The hatter sold nine caps. There are thirty days in the month of September. Quick believers need broad shoulders. Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests. The days are cold, the nights are long, You little twinkling stars that shine Above my head so high, If I had but a pair of wings I'd join you in the sky. The clouds are scudding across the moon, A misty light is on the sea; The wind in the shrouds has a wintry tune, And the foam is flying free. b. Give the Plural of :— Board. Horse. Book. Bag. Shrub. Gas. Grass. Ditch. Moss. Patch. Bush. Tax. Valley. Lady. Army. Daisy. Baby. Donkey. Chimney. Leaf. Calf. Wife. Hoof. Cliff. Echo. Hero. Motto. Canto. Grotto. Englishman. Foot. Ox. Brother. Deer. Sheep. c. Give the Singular of :— Cups. Spoons. Mats. Meadows. Gates. Boxes. Rushes. Topazes. Hashes. Foxes. Brooches. Watches. Alleys. Allies. Journeys. Gipsies. Shelves. Elves. Loaves. Roofs. Dwarfs. Buffaloes. Cargoes. Negroes. Portfolios. Oratorios. Mosquitos. Geese. Teeth. Mice. Brethren. Children. Swine. Fish. Shears. Bellows. Trousers. Oats. *127. When a Noun is taken without change from a foreign language, it generally keeps its foreign Plural for a time, but after the word comes to be looked upon as thoroughly English it often forms its Plural in the English way. Examples of the latter are cherubs, 1 See "Notes for Teachers," p. 323, Note 22, and p. 324, Note 27. geniuses, dogmas, enigmas, encomiums. Examples of Nouns that still have foreign plurals are larva (pl. larvae), radius (pl. radii), stimulus (pl. stimuli), memorandum (pl. memoranda), phenomenon (pl. phenomena), axis (pl. axes), crisis (pl. crises), genus (pl. genera), beau (pl. beaux), cherub (pl. cherubim). Monsieur, the Singular of Messieurs (usually written Messrs. in English), is not used in English. Mr. is used in the Singular. So Mrs. or Miss is generally used in the Singular, while Mesdames is used in the Plural. GENDER. 128. All beings may be divided into three classes:- (2) Creatures of the female sex; Exercise 89. Say of each of the beings named here whether it is of the male sex, of the female sex, or without animal life. Man. Woman. Pen. Boy. Girl. Book. Father. Window. Mother. Brother. Sister. Tree. Uncle. Aunt. Corn. Horse. Mare. Meadow. Bull. Cow. Milk. He-goat. She-goat. Beard. Man-servant. Maidservant. Boar. Sow. Stable. Drake. Duck. Pond. Gander. Goose. Table. Iron. Stone. Lion. Lioness. Den. Desert. 129. All Nouns may be divided into three classes corresponding to the three classes into which all beings may be divided. They are (1) Names of beings of the male sex; (2) Names of beings of the female sex; or 130. In the English of the present time each of these classes of names forms a Gender.' Names of beings of the male sex are Nouns of the Masculine' Gender. 1 See "Notes for Teachers," p. 824, Note 28. • Masculine from the Latin masculinus, lengthened from masculus, male. |