Using nouns correctly in English is relatively simple, with standard rules and only a few exceptions. Use these pages to learn about the English grammar rules for gender, plurals, countable and uncountable nouns, compound nouns, capitalization, nationalities, and forming the possessive.
In general there is no distinction between masculine, feminine in English nouns. However, gender is sometimes shown by different forms or different words when referring to people or animals.
Many nouns that refer to people's roles and jobs can be used for either a masculine or a feminine subject, like for example
Examples
- Mary is my friend. She is a doctor.
- Peter is my cousin. He is a doctor.
- Arthur is my friend. He is a student.
- Jane is my cousin. She is a student.
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Singular and plural nouns
Regular nouns
Most singular nouns form the plural by adding
-s.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|
| boat | boats |
| house | houses |
| cat | cats |
| river | rivers |
A singular noun ending in
s, x, z, ch, sh makes the plural by adding
-es.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|
| bus | buses |
| wish | wishes |
| pitch | pitches |
| box | boxes |
A singular noun ending in a consonant and then
y makes the plural by dropping the y and adding
-ies.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|
| penny | pennies |
| spy | spies |
| baby | babies |
| city | cities |
| daisy | daisies |
Irregular nouns
There are some irregular noun plurals. The most common ones are listed below.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|
| woman | women |
| man | men |
| child | children |
| tooth | teeth |
| foot | feet |
| person | people |
| leaf | leaves |
| mouse | mice |
| goose | geese |
| half | halves |
| knife | knives |
| wife | wives |
| life | lives |
| elf | elves |
| loaf | loaves |
| potato | potatoes |
| tomato | tomatoes |
| cactus | cacti |
| focus | foci |
| fungus | fungi |
| nucleus | nuclei |
| syllabus | syllabi/syllabuses |
| analysis | analyses |
| diagnosis | diagnoses |
| oasis | oases |
| thesis | theses |
| crisis | crises |
| phenomenon | phenomena |
| criterion | criteria |
| datum | data |
Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|
| sheep | sheep |
| fish | fish |
| deer | deer |
| species | species |
| aircraft | aircraft |
Irregular verb/noun agreement
Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.
| Plural nouns used with a singular verb | Sentence |
|---|
| news | The news is at 6.30 p.m. |
| athletics | Athletics is good for young people. |
| linguistics | Linguistics is the study of language. |
| darts | Darts is a popular game in England. |
| billiards | Billiards is played all over the world. |
Some nouns have a fixed plural form and take a plural verb. They are not used in the singular, or they have a different meaning in the singular. Nouns like this include:
trousers, jeans, glasses, savings, thanks, steps, stairs, customs, congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts, goods, wits | Plural noun with plural verb | Sentence |
|---|
| trousers | My trousers are too tight. |
| jeans | Her jeans are black. |
| glasses | Those glasses are his. |
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Countable and uncountable nouns
It's important to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns in English because their usage is different in regards to both determiners and verbs.
Countable nouns
Countable nouns are for things we can count using numbers. They have a singular and a plural form. The singular form can use the determiner "a" or "an". If you want to ask about the quantity of a countable noun, you ask "How many?" combined with the plural countable noun.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|
| one dog | two dogs |
| one horse | two horses |
| one man | two men |
| one idea | two ideas |
| one shop | two shops |
Examples
- She has three dogs.
- I own a house.
- I would like two books please.
- How many friends do you have?
Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small or too amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are used with a singular verb. They usually do not have a plural form.
Examples
- tea
- sugar
- water
- air
- rice
- knowledge
- beauty
- anger
- fear
- love
- money
- research
- safety
- evidence
We cannot use
a/an with these nouns. To express a quantity of an uncountable noun, use a word or expression like
some, a lot of, much, a bit of, a great deal of , or else use an exact measurement like
a cup of, a bag of, 1kg of, 1L of, a handful of, a pinch of, an hour of, a day of. If you want to ask about the quantity of an uncountable noun, you ask "How much?"
Examples
- There has been a lot of research into the causes of this disease.
- He gave me a great deal of advice before my interview.
- Can you give me some information about uncountable nouns?
- He did not have much sugar left.
- Measure 1 cup of water, 300g of flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- How much rice do you want?
Tricky spots
Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in English. They must follow the rules for uncountable nouns. The most common ones are:
accommodation, advice, baggage, behavior, bread, furniture, information, luggage, news, progress, traffic, travel, trouble, weather, work Examples
- I would like to give you some advice.
- How much bread should I bring?
- I didn't make much progress today.
- This looks like a lot of trouble to me.
- We did an hour of work yesterday.
Be careful with the noun
hair which is normally uncountable in English, so it is not used in the plural. It can be countable only when referring to individual hairs.
Examples
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