Some important rules of noun
Rule 1:- Collective nouns are generally used in the singular form with the neuter gender pronoun.
Example
1. Peter had a flock of sheep and he kept a herdsman for his maintenance. (use - its)
Rule 2:- Sometimes collective nouns can be used as both singular and plural according to the need as below.
Example
1. The jury were unanimous in their opinion. (incorrect)
2. The jury was unanimous in its opinion. (correct)
Explanation
Both verb and pronoun should be in the singular form because the jury indicates unity.
Examples
3. The jury was divided in its opinions. (incorrect)
4.The jury were divided in their opinions. (correct)
5.The committee has decided the matter without leaving its seats.(incorrect)
6. The committee have decided the matter without leaving their seats. (correct)
Note
Both verb and pronoun will be in the plural form as the jury and the committee indicate individuals.
Rule 3:- when we make use of a common gender noun, preference is given to the masculine gender ( he, him, his)
Doctor, Singer, Dancer, Writer, Reader, Player etc.
Example
1. The doctor gave an injection to her patient to alleviate the pain (use- his)
Rule 4:-Some nouns are used in the singular form with the plural verb because they look like singular but give the meaning of plural.
People, cattle, poultry, clergy, children, vermin, peasantry, gentry, cavalry, infantry, artillery and police.
Examples
1. Police is also looking for the second can. (use- are)
2. Poultry lays eggs and is used for food to a great extent. (use – lay & are)
3.Cattle is grazing in the meadow. (use- are)
Rule 5:-Some nouns are always used in singular form with singular verb.
Scenery, poetry, luggage, furniture, work, advice, information, equipment, bread, food, baggage, homage, percentage, crockery, jewellery, stationery, machinery, hair etc.
The abvove nouns are uncountable therefore A, An, many, few, a number of, a great number of and numeral adjectives( one, two, three etc.) do not come before them.
Examples
1. The sceneries of Goa is arresting. (use- scenery)
2. William Wordsworth has described the beauty of the nature in his poetries. ( use- poetry)
3. Most foreign nations have left the country on the advices of their governments. (use- advice )
Note-
These noun can never be used in the plural, their plural forms are made by using piece of, kind of, article of, slice of, strand of, a type of, a bit of, a lot of, lots of.
Examples
1. she went to college to get informations. (use-a piece of/some information )
2He bought many furnitures for his house. (use- many types of furniture)
3. I take breads as breakfast in the morning. (use- some slices of bread)
4. Many people have hairs on their chests. (use- a lot of/lots of hair)
Note-
If any numeral adjective comes before hair, it can be used in the plural form, or in a phrase.
Examples
1. his two hairs have grown grey.
2.Don’t waste time splitting hairs. (split hairs is a phrase, means- find fault)
Rule 6:- Some nouns are always used in the plural form with the singular verb because they are singular in meaning.
Economics, politics, physics, mathematics, ethics, summons, innings, mumps, measles, rickets, billiards, athletics, classics, news.
Examples
1. Politics are not my cup of tea. (use- is )
2. The next day he made the right decision and won the match by an inning. (use- innings)
3. She had received a summon to appear in court. (use- summons)
Note-
(i) When numeral adjective (2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) comes before innings, innings is used with the plural verb.
Example
(i).
Three hundred innings has been played by Virendra Sehwag in O.D.I. till now.
(use- have)
(ii)
summon- verb,
summons- singular noun
Summonses -plural noun
Example
1. The court summoned him. ( Verb)
2. The court issued a summons to him.
( Singular noun)
3. After having received a lot of summonses, he did not give his presence before the court. ( Plural noun)
Rule 7:- Some nouns are always used in plural form with plural verb.
Scissors, binoculars, alms, spectacles, belongings, tongs, pincers, bellows, trousers, pants, shorts, goggles, sunglasses, gallows, congratulations, lodgings, proceeds, regards, surroundings, thanks, wages, goods.
Examples
1. The proceeds was divided between them. (use- were)
2. The beggars were pullulated in the plaza and alms was given to them. ( use- were)
3. Where is your trousers? (use- are)
Note-
Spectacle means sight,/scenery / scene
Spectacles means goggles, glasses.
Rule 8:- When a definite numeral adjective ( 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) comes before these words and a noun after them, they are used in singular form.
Pair, score, dozen, metre, year, hundred thousand, million, billion, lakh, milliard.
Examples
1. She bought five dozens bananas. (use- dozen)
2. Fifty lakhs students have appeared in the examination this year. (use- lakh)
3. She gave me a five hundred rupee note.
( Means- one note of 5 hundred)
4. She gave me two five hundred rupee notes. ( Means- 2 notes )
Note-
If numeral adjectives do not come before the above words, they will always come in the plural form.
Examples
1. Million of people are still living below the poverty line. (use- millions)
2. Thousand of persons die from cancer every year. ( use- thousands )
Rule 9:- Some nouns remain the same in both singular and plural form.
Sheep, deer, cod, salmon, fish, crew, team, jury, series, counsel.
Examples
1. The sheep was grazing in the meadow.
( means - one sheep)
2. The sheep were grazing in the meadow.
( means- more than one sheep)
3. A hunter was chasing five deers that were running toward the forest. ( use- deer)
Note- Fish (singular) means- one fish.
Fish (plural.) Means a lot of fish of the same types.
Fishes (plural) means a lot of fish of different types.
