Number (Singular, Plural)

ইংরেজিতে একটা কথা আছে Once for all (শেষবার, চিরতরে). বারবার নয়, একটা টপিক একবারই সঠিক নিয়মে ভালোভাবে শিখুন! আর কখনও নতুন করে শেখার দরকার হবেনা।

Today's topic: Number (Singular and Plural). এতোক্ষণে হয়ত অনেকেরই ভাবা শেষ, ও! singular, plural. খুবই সহজ- s, es যুক্ত করলেই হলো! আপনার ভাবনাটা কিঞ্চিত সঠিকও বটে! কিন্তু এর বিস্তৃতি বেশ ব্যাপক। English grammar, spoken English সর্বোপরি subject-verb agreement এর ক্ষেত্রে এটি জানা আবশ্যক।

Number বা বচন: যা দ্বারা ব্যক্তি, বস্তু তথা noun/pronoun এর সংখ্যা বুঝায় তাকে number (বচন) বলে। 

Definition:The number refers to the count of nouns or pronouns.

সাধারণত  Countable noun (যা গনণা করা যায়) এর singular ও plural form হয়ে থাকে । যথা: book-books, my-our, it-they, pen-pens etc. *Numbers are of two types. 

1. Singular Number:

It refers to the count of only one of a noun or pronoun.

Example: chair, table, aunt, father, goose, etc.

2. Plural Number (বহুবচন):

It refers to the count of more than one of a noun or pronoun.

Example: chairs, tables, aunts, fathers, geese, etc. 

 দেখুনতো নীচের শব্দগুলোর singular plural form জানা আছে কিনা?

 

Crisis, Radius, formula, index, datum, focus, appendix, axis, cactus, criterion, agenda, fungus bacteria, larva, medium, criterion, phenomenon, curriculum, syllabus, thesis alumnus,nucleus, quiz, species, stimulus, mouse, louse, sheep, aircraft, shrimp, fish, trout, swine, moose,  deer, piano,zero, photo, fez , vita, diagnosis, analysis, ellipsis, person, penny,  octopus, basis, brethren, kine

Number পরিবর্তনের নিয়মসমূহ:

(How to change number)

*Numerous (অসংখ্য) RULES are there to change the number from singular to plural. They are as follows-

Rule 1:

In general “s” is used at the end of a singular noun to make it plural

Example:

Singular Plural

Pencil Pencils

Cow Cows

House Houses

Dog Dogs

Mobile Mobiles

Rule 2:

If  there exist s, o, sh, ch, x and z in the end, “es” gets to be used.

Examples:

Singular Plural

Potato Potatoes

Bus Buses

Dish Dishes

Branch Branches

Fox Foxes

Fez Fezes

 

Rule 3:

While  pronunciation of ch is like “k”, just “s” is added at the end

Example:

Singular Plural

Monarch Monarchs

Patriarch Patriarchs

Matriarch Matriarchs

Stomach Stomachs

Hierarch Hierarchs

Part 1: when there’s a “y” in the end  and a Consonant before that “y”, “i” substitutes it  and an “es” thereafter.

Example:

Singular Plural

Story Stories

Hobby Hobbies

Army Armies

Fly Flies

Baby Babies

Part 2: but if there’s a vowel ahead of  that “y”, no need to change it, only “s” to add.

Example

Singular Plural

Monkey Monkeys

Key keys

Donkey Donkeys

Toy Toys

Day Days

Joy Joys

Play Plays

Rule 4:

“v” replaces f or fe and then adds an “es” to finish it.

Example:

Singular Plural

thief Thieves

Wife Wives

Knife Knives

Wolf Wolves

Leaf Leaves

Exception (ব্যতিক্রম): proof-proofs, roof-roofs

Part 1: “es” to be added if the noun is finished by “o” and a consonant places ahead.

Example:

singular Plural

Hero Heroes

Mango Mangoes

Zero Zeroes/zero

Potato Potatoes

Echo Echoes

Exception: piano-pianos

Part 2: but when there’s a vowel before that “o”, only “s” is enough.

Example

Singular Plural

Cuckoo Cuckoos

Bamboo Bamboos

Studio Studios

Portfolio Portfolios

Cameo Cameos

Exception 1:  though there’s an “o” and a consonant ahead of  it, some nouns use only “s”.

Example:

Singular Plural

Photo Photos

Piano Pianos

Radio Radios

Canto Cantos

Memo   Memos

Exception 2: for some, “s” and “es” both are correct.

Mosquito Mosquitos/mosquitoes

Commando Commandos/commandoes

Portico Porticos/porticoes

Calico Calicos/calicoes

Memento Mementos/mementoes

Rule 5:

Some require changing the middle-vowel of the word to make it plural.

Example:

Singular Plural

Louse Lice

Man Men

Woman Women

Foot Feet

Mouse Mice

Tooth Teeth

Rule 6:

Some  require en, ren and ne to add at last.

Example:

Singular plural

Ox Oxen

Child Children

Brother Brethren (brothers also correct)

Cow Kine (cows also correct)

Sister Sistren (sisters also correct)

Part 1:  if “man” means human being in a compound noun(a  noun that contains two or more words that jointly make a single noun), “men”replaces that “man”.

Example:

singular plural

Fisherman Fishermen

Workman Workmen

Boatman Boatmen

Man-of-war Men-of-war

Salesman salesmen

Part 2: but when “man” is just a part of the word, or it  refers to any ethnic group, race or civilian, there comes “s”.

Mussalman Mussalmans

Brahman Brahmans

German Germans

Norman Normans

Rule 7:

“s” to be added when there’s a “ful” in the end.

Example:

singular plural

Handful Handfuls

Mouthful mouthfuls

Spoonful Spoonfuls

armful Armfuls

cupful cupfuls

Part 1: If compound noun contains several words,  “s” comes to join  with the main part of that noun.

Example:

Singular Plural

Brother-in-law Brothers-in-law

Passers-by Passers-by

Step-brother Step-brothers

Commander-in-chief Commanders-in-chief

Maid-servant Maid-servants

Part 2: in some cases,“s”comes in every part to make it so.

Example:

Singular Plural

Lord-justice Lords-justices

Man-servant Men-servants

Woman-servant Women-servants

Rule 8:

Besides, adding “s” only  in the end gets it done for few.

Example:

Singular Plural

Book-shelf Book-shelves

Book-case Book-cases

Major-general Major-generals

Poet-laurete Poet-lauretes

Forget-me-not Forget-me-nots

Rule 9:

Some singular nouns have no plural form, only used in singular.

Example:

Furniture

Scenery

Issue

Bread

expenditure

Rule 9:

Adversely, some  are always used as a plural form.

Example:

Mumps

Scissors

Trousers

Spectacles

Assets

Pants

Rule 10:

Though some nouns seem like singular, but actually they are plural.

Example:

Government

Peasantry

People

Cattle

Mankind

Rule 11:

Similarly, some nouns seem like plural though they are singular.

Example:

Physics

Politics

Ethics

News

Wages

Rule 12:

Some have the same singular and plural form.

Example:

Deer

Sheep

Species

Corps

Canon

Rule 12:

In case of letters, numbers and other symbols, it takes an apostrophe and s to change it.

Example:

Sam, write your g’s and y’s clearly.

John, add two 5’s and three 8’s.

Rule 13:

There is no specific rule for changing the number of pronouns. It’s all about memorizing.

Singular plural singular plural

I We Him/her Them

My Our Your Your

Mine Ours This These

Me Us That Those

You You It They

He/she they His/her their

***Some important Singular plural words (for admission test, competitive jobs) are given below:

 Crisis- crises

 Radius- Radii

formula-formulae

index-indices

Apex- apices

datum-data

focus-foci

appendix-appendices

axis-axes

Basis-bases

Cactus-cacti

Criterion-criteria

Agendum-agenda

Fungus-fungi

Bacterium-bacteria

larva-larvae

Oasis-oases

medium-media 

phenomenon-phenomena

curriculum-curricula

syllabus-syllabi

thesis-thesis

alumnus-alumni

Nucleus-nuclei

 quiz-quizzes

 species-species

 stimulus-stimuli

 mouse-mice

 louse-lice

 sheep-sheep

 aircraft-aircraft

shrimp-shrimp

 fish-fish/fishes

 trout-trout

 swine-swine

Deer-deer

piano-pianos

photo-photos

fez-fezes

vita-vitae

diagnosis-diagnoses

analysis-analyses

Ellipsis-ellipses

person-people

penny-pence

octopus-octopi/octopuses

basis-bases

brother-brethren/brorhers

Cow-cows/kine

Ox-oxen

Prepared by: Noor E Alam

24 June 2020