alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

ETYlIIOLOGY-NOUNS-NUlIIDER. 25
NUMBER.
135. N UlIlBER is that property of a noun by which it
expresses one, 01' more than one.
136. Noun" have two numbers, the Singular and the
Plural. The singular denotes one: as, book, tree; the
plural, m01'e than one; as, books, trees.
GEXERAL llULE.
137. The plural is commonly formed by adding s to
the singular; as, book, books.
SPECIAL RULES.
138. RULE I.-Nouns in s, sh, ch soft, z, x, or 0, form
the plural by adding es ; as, Miss, .Misses; brush, brushes;
match, matches; topaz, topazes; fox, foxes; hero, heroes.
139. Exceptions.-Nouns in eo, io, lind yo, have s ouly; as, cameo,
cameos; folio, f9lios; embryo, embryos. So also, canto, contos. Junto,
tyro, grotto, pOl tieo, sulo, halo, quarto, furmerly had s only in the plural;
but now more commouly es under the Rule; as, junto, juntoes, &c. Nouns
in ch sounding k, add s only; as, monarch, monarchs. See also 144.
140. V{henc,'cr s or es will not coalesce with the tinal sy\laole, it adds
a syllable to the wurd; as, age, pI. ages; box, boxes. But where s 01' es
will coalesce, it doe,; not add a syllable; as, book, books; cargo, cargoes.
The swill Dlake an additional syllable only after e final, preceded by g 01'
an s·sounJ; a~, cage, cages; race, ruces; j'ose, roses. E" will coal~sce, and
so not add a syllable, only after 0; as, echo, echoes.
141. RuLI'.: Z.-N ouns in y after a consonant, change
y into ies in the plural; as, lady, ladies. But
Nouns in y after a vowel, and all proper nouns in y,
follow the general rule (137); as, day, days; the Pompeys,
the Tullys, &c.
142. RULE 3.-Nouns inf or fe, changef or fe into
ves in the plural: as, loaf, loaves; life, lives,