English noun/Catalogs/English irregular nouns: Difference between revisions
imported>Stefan Olejniczak mNo edit summary |
imported>Ro Thorpe No edit summary |
||
Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
The following have the same form in the singular and plural: '''bárracks, cód, cróssroads, dêer''' ''animal'' (= '''dêar''' ''loved, expensive''), '''dîce, físh''' ('''dîe''' as the singular of '''dîce''' and '''físhes''' as the plural of '''físh''' are archaic), '''gállows, hálibut, héadquarters, mêans, óffspring, përch''' ''fish'' ('''përch''' ''position'' has '''përches'''), '''pîke, sálmon''' (*sámmon), '''sêries, shêep, spêcies''' (-shíz), '''tròut''' and '''tûna'''. | The following have the same form in the singular and plural: '''bárracks, cód, cróssroads, dêer''' ''animal'' (= '''dêar''' ''loved, expensive''), '''dîce, físh''' ('''dîe''' as the singular of '''dîce''' and '''físhes''' as the plural of '''físh''' are archaic), '''gállows, hálibut, héadquarters, mêans, óffspring, përch''' ''fish'' ('''përch''' ''position'' has '''përches'''), '''pîke, sálmon''' (*sámmon), '''sêries, shêep, spêcies''' (-shíz), '''tròut''' and '''tûna'''. | ||
In the case of '''bròther''', there exist plurals with different meanings, one regular, the other irregular, so that only one of the forms is correct in a given context: '''bròthers''' ''family'', '''bréthren''' ''church''. | In the case of '''bròther''', there exist plurals with different meanings, one regular, the other irregular, so that only one of the forms is correct in a given context: '''bròthers''' ''family'', '''bréthren''' ''church''. Also, '''anténn'''('''a''')'''e''' tends to be used in the context of ''insects'', '''anténnas''' in that of ''radio''. | ||
In the table, prefixed nouns are not included if their plural endings are the same as that of the root noun: for example the plural of '''snôwmán''' is '''snôwmén'''. | In the table, prefixed nouns are not included if their plural endings are the same as that of the root noun: for example the plural of '''snôwmán''' is '''snôwmén'''. |
Revision as of 07:56, 5 February 2011
This is a cluster with an incorrect pagename field in the metadata. Details: | |
---|---|
|
Template:English irregular nouns footerThe normal way to form a plural noun in English is to add the suffix -s, which changes into -es after an alveolar or postalveolar fricative, i.e. after s, z, ch and sh. Nouns with the stem ending in -ŷ replace this ending with -íes. But there are also many irregular nouns, some with English roots, others with plural forms from Latin, Greek, French, Italian and Hebrew. (The accents, which are not part of the language, are included to show stress and pronunciation: see English spellings for a table and English phonemes for the IPA. Words in italics suggest meaning, and an equals sign is placed between homophones.)
Nouns in -o that always change to -ôes in the plural are included in the table below; others are regular, ending in -ôs, while búffalo, càrgo, hâlo, mosquìto (-skì-), mótto, nô, tornâdo, volcâno and zêro can be seen with both -ôs and -ôes.
Nouns of Latin origin in -us that always have -î in the plural are listed below, while cáctus, fôcus, fúngus, hippopótamus, óctopus and sýllabus can have both -î and -uses.
Nouns of Greek origin in -sís (-ssíss), análysis, áxis, bâsis, crîsis, diagnôsis, émphasis, hypóthesis, neurôsis, oâsis, parénthesis, synópsis, sýnthesis and thêsis have their plurals in -sês (-ssêez): análysês (*ənáləssêez) etc.
Nouns of Latin origin in -ndum, addéndum, referéndum and memorándum, change to -nda: addénda, referénda, memoránda.
Apart from vŏrtex, plural vŏrtices (-tíssêez), nouns of Latin origin in -ex and -íx (âpex, appéndix, cërvix, índex and mâtrix) have plurals in both -icês and -xes (-xíz).
The following have the same form in the singular and plural: bárracks, cód, cróssroads, dêer animal (= dêar loved, expensive), dîce, físh (dîe as the singular of dîce and físhes as the plural of físh are archaic), gállows, hálibut, héadquarters, mêans, óffspring, përch fish (përch position has përches), pîke, sálmon (*sámmon), sêries, shêep, spêcies (-shíz), tròut and tûna.
In the case of bròther, there exist plurals with different meanings, one regular, the other irregular, so that only one of the forms is correct in a given context: bròthers family, bréthren church. Also, anténn(a)e tends to be used in the context of insects, anténnas in that of radio.
In the table, prefixed nouns are not included if their plural endings are the same as that of the root noun: for example the plural of snôwmán is snôwmén.
Table of irregular nouns
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
bactêrium | bactêria |
chîld | chíldren |
goôse | gêese |
lôaf | lôaves |
nûclêus | nûclêî |
phenómenon | phenómena |
vŏrtex | vŏrticês (-íssêez) |
Comprehensive list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Notes |