oxford_guide_to_english_grammar

PAGE 183 145 The plural of nouns
e
f
Nouns which describe feelings are usually uncountable, e.g. fear, hope. But some
can be countable, especially for feelings about something specific.
a fear of dogs hopes for the future
doubts about the wisdom of the decision
an intense dislike of quiz shows
Pity, shame, wonder, relief, pleasure and delight are singular as complement.
It seemed a pity to break up the party.
Thanks very much. ~ It's a pleasure.
When ordering food or drink or talking about portions, we can use countable
nouns.
I'll have a lager. (= a glass of lager)
Three coffees, please. (= three cups of coffee)
Two sugars. (= two spoonfuls of sugar)
Some nouns can be countable with the meaning 'kind(s) of...'
These lagers are all the same. (= kinds of lager)
There are lots of different grasses. (= kinds of grass)
'You can get a meal here.'
145 The plural of nouns
'You can buy different kinds of food here.'
1 Form
a
A countable noun (door, plane, stewardess) has both a singular and a plural form.
To form the plural we add s (doors, planes) or es (stewardesses).
NOTE
a There are some spelling rules for noun plurals.
Adding es after a sibilant sound: dish dishes • 290(1)
Y changing to ie: baby babies • 294
b For pronunciation of the s/es ending, • 290(3).
b Some nouns have an irregular plural, e.g. man men. • 295
c
To form the plural of a compound noun or of two nouns together, we add s/es to
the end.
weekends bedrooms motor-bikes glass dishes
We also add s/es to the end of a noun formed from a verb + adverb.
breakdowns walk-outs check-ups
When a prepositional phrase comes after the noun, we add s/es to the noun.
Doctors of Philosophy mothers-in-law
And when an adverb follows a noun in er, we add s/es to the noun.
passers-by runners-up