Learn English Language: Lesson 41 - 45

Lesson 41

Akin to this class are some words, originally neuter, that have the singular and plural alike; such as deer, sheep, swine, etc.

Other words following the same usage are, pair, brace, dozen, after numerals (if not after numerals, or if preceded by the prepositions in, by, etc, they add -s): also trout, salmon; head, sail; cannon; heathen, folk, people.

The words horse and foot, when they mean soldiery, retain the same form for plural meaning; as,

• The foot are fourscore thousand, The horse are thousands ten.
• Lee marched over the mountain wall, Over the mountains winding down, Horse and foot, into Frederick town.

Lesson 42: Plurals formed by Adding -s or –es

Instead of -s, the ending -es is added

(1) If a word ends in a letter which cannot add -s and be pronounced. Such are box, cross, ditch, glass, lens, quartz, etc.

If the word ends in a sound which cannot add -s, a new syllable is made; as, niche—niches, race—races, house—houses, prize—prizes, chaise—chaises, etc.

-Es is also added to a few words ending in -o, though this sound combines readily with -s, and does not make an extra syllable: cargo—cargoes, negro—negroes, hero—heroes, volcano—volcanoes, etc.

Usage differs somewhat in other words of this class, some adding -s, and some -es.

(2) If a word ends in -y preceded by a consonant (the y being then changed to i); e.g., fancies, allies, daisies, fairies.

Formerly, however, these words ended in -ie, and the real ending is therefore -s. Notice these from Chaucer (fourteenth century):

• The lilie on hir stalke grene. Of maladie the which he hadde endured.

And these from Spenser (sixteenth century):

• Be well aware, quoth then that ladie milde. At last fair Hesperus in highest skie Had spent his lampe.

(3) In the case of some words ending in -f or -fe, which have the plural in -ves: calf—calves, half—halves, knife—knives, shelf—shelves, etc.

Lesson 43

Material nouns and abstract nouns are always singular. When such words take a plural ending, they lose their identity, and go over to other classes.

Lesson 44

Proper nouns are regularly singular, but may be made plural when we wish to speak of several persons or things bearing the same name; e.g., the Washingtons, the Americas.

Lesson 45

Some words are usually singular, though they are plural in form. Examples of these are, optics, economics, physics, mathematics, politics, and many branches of learning; also news, pains (care), molasses, summons, means: as,

• Politics, in its widest extent, is both the science and the art of government.
• So live, that when thy summons comes, etc.
• It served simply as a means of sight.

Two words, means and politics, may be plural in their construction with verbs and adjectives:

• Words, by strongly conveying the passions, by those means which we have already mentioned, fully compensate for their weakness in other respects.
• With great dexterity these means were now applied.
• By these means, I say, riches will accumulate.
• Cultivating a feeling that politics are tiresome.
• The politics in which he took the keenest interest were politics scarcely deserving of the name.
• Now I read all the politics that come out.

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