Parts of Speech : Nouns, Part 2-Special Issues

Last week we talked about the types of nouns. Nouns seem like such an easy and simple part of speech, you wouldn’t think there would be any issues with them. But there are . . .

Plurals

Nouns have plurals. Obviously, it would be simple if we just added -s to the end of a word to make it plural. But of course, as with everything else in English, there are many exceptions. Here is a list of the significant rules:

1. Add an s: books, cows, thoughts
2. If the singular noun ends in ‑s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, add -es :  buses, bushes, classes, churches, taxes
3. Sometimes the words ending in -s or -z need that letter doubled before the -es: quizzes, busses (or buses)
4. If the noun ends with ‑f or ‑fe, the f is often changed to ‑ve before adding the -s: knives, wives (there are exceptions like roofs, chefs)
5. If a singular noun ends in ‑y and the letter before the -y is a consonant, change the ending to ‑ies: studies, candies
6. If the singular noun ends in -y and the letter before the -y is a vowel, just add an -s: days, guys
7. If the singular noun ends in ‑o, add ‑es: potatoes (there are exceptions like pianos, halos)
8. If the singular noun ends in ‑us, change it to -i: cacti. foci.
9. If the singular noun ends in ‑is, change it to ‑es: ellipses, analyses.
10. If the singular noun ends in ‑on, change it to ‑a: phenomena
11. Some nouns don’t change at all in the plural: sheep, deer, species
12. And some nouns have irregular plurals: men, children, geese

Notice that there is no mention or apostrophes in the pluralization rules! 😉

Thank you to Grammarly for those nice rules! 

 

Possessives

Nouns have possessive forms, the forms that show ownership. The simple rule is to add -‘s to make a singular noun possessive: boy’s pencil, Stella’s car

Here are some additional rules:

1. Compound possessive: Mom and Dad’s house (one house belongs to both of them); Mom’s and Dad’s cars (two cars, one belonging to each)
2. Add  just an apostrophe to plural nouns that end in -s; girls’ (belonging to the girls)
3. Add -‘s to plurals that don’t end in -s: children’s, men’s
4. For singular nouns that already end in -s, add ‘s nonetheless: boss’s, princess’s, Thomas’s (as you would say them)
5. The plural possessive of the words in #4 are bosses’, princesses’, and Thomases’ (as you would say them)
6. Words that end in -es that sounds like -ez just add an apostrophe: Socrates’

Collective Nouns and Verb Agreement

Collective nouns can be singular or plural, but even as singular nouns they represent a group. So . . . should you use a singular or a plural verb form with them? Most people use a singular verb:

1. My family is coming for Thanksgiving dinner.
2. The band is tuning up.

That is all well and good, but technically you should use the singular verb when you are talking about the collective noun as one unit, but the plural verb when you are referring to the individual members of the collection. For example,

My family are coming from all over the world for Thanksgiving. (They are coming from different places and are thought of as individuals)

My family is going to Disneyland. (Singular because it appears they are going together as a unit.)

The band are tuning up. (Each member is tuning up separately on their own instrument.)

The band is playing a Beatles medley. (They are all playing together as a unit.)

Most people do not make this singular-plural distinction and use the singular verb, so don’t worry about it too much!

 

Hyphenation/Capitalization

Not too many nouns are hyphenated. Some compound nouns are: mother-in-law, editor-in-chief

It is usually compound adjectives that are hyphenated: well-known composer, blue-eyed boy

Most compound nouns have no hyphen: backpack, manhunt, foxhole, hairdo

Some compound nouns are separate words: fairy tale,  witch hunt

Words like email and website started out as separate words (e mail, web site). As they became more popular, they became hyphenated. Now, they are so common, they are often one word. Sometimes e-mail and e-book are still hyphenated. Website usually isn’t. That is usually what happens with words.

The general capitalization rule is to capitalize proper nouns: specific people, places, and things. For example

1. He is president of the club.  I met President Ford. 
2. He is in high school. He goes to Wilson High School.

The word earth is usually not capitalized even when talking about the planet. It is capitalized if used in a sentence with other planets, which are capitalized. 

1. The earth is not flat; it is round.
2. The plants nearest Earth are Mars and Venus.

If you have questions about capitalization – and particularly hyphenation – the best thing to do is to consult the dictionary.  The second most important thing to do is be consistent, whether or not you decide to hyphenate. Sometimes dictionaries will vary. It is more important in these cases to be consistent throughout the writing rather than to be  “right.”

Next Week: The Six Types of Pronouns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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