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UNIT 2
SINGULAR-PLURAL FORMS
COUNT-NONCOUNT

SINGULAR AND PLURAL

(a) NOUN + -s: Friends are A final –s or –es is added to make a noun plural
important Friend : a singular noun
NOUNS + -es: I like my Friends: a plural noun
classes

SPELLING : FINAL -s vs –es

For most words (whether a verb or a noun), simply a final –s
(b) Song  songs
is added to spell the word correctly.
(c) Glass  glasses Final –es is added to words that ends in –sh, -ch, -s, -z, and –x
For words that end in –y:
(d) Toy  toys In (d): if –y proceeded by a vowel, only –s is added.
(d) Baby  babies In (e): if –y is preceded by a consonant , the –y is changed
into –i and –es is added

IRREGULAR PLURAL NOUNS

(a) man – men mouse – mice The nouns in (a) have irregular plural
child – children foot – feet forms
Some nouns that end in :
(b) echoes (c) photos (d)mosquitoes  –o add –es to form the plural, as in (b)
heroes pianos /mosquitoes  –o add only –s to form in the plural,
potatoes videos volcanoes as in (c)
 –o add either –es or end –s to form
the plural, as in (d)
(e) knife – knives Some nouns that end in :
half- halves  –e or –fe are changed to –ves in the
plural, as in (e) and (f).
(f) belief – beliefs  –f simply add –s to form the plural,
roof- roofs as in (g)and (h).
- Some nouns have the same singular
(g) deer fish means sheep
and plural form (e.g., One deer is…
series species
Two deer are ….)
(h) criterion – criteria cactus – cacti - Some nouns that English has borrowed
formula – formulae basis – bases from other languages have foreign
index – indices datum - data plurals, as in (h).
phenomenon-phenomena thesis-theses
hypothesis-hypotheses crisis-crises
stimulus- stimuli medium-media
curriculum-curricula syllabus-sillabi

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COUNT NOUN AND NONCOUNT NOUNS

(a) I bought a chair. Sam bought Chair is a count noun, chairs are items that can
three chairs. be counted
(b) We bought some furniture. Furniture is a noncount noun. In grammar
INCORRECT: We bought a furniture furniture cannot be counted
INCORRECT: We bought some
furnitures
SINGULAR PLURAL
COUNT NOUN a chair chairs A count noun:
one chair two chairs (1) may be preceded by a/an in
some chairs the singular
(2) takes a final –s/-es in the
plural
NONCOUNT furniture A noncount noun:
NOUN some furniture (3) is not immediately preceded
by a/an
(4) has no plural form; does not
take a final –s/-es

NONCOUNT NOUNS

Notice in the following: Most noncount nouns refer to a “whole” that is made up of
different parts
(a) I bought some earrings, necklaces, In (a): jewelry represents a whole group
rings and bracelets. In other words, of things that is made up of similar but
I bought some jewelry. separate items.
In (b): sugar and coffee represent whole
masses made up of individual particles or
elements. To express a particular
(b) I put some sugar in my coffee quantity, some noncount nouns may be
preceded by unit expressions: e.g. , a
glass of water, a loaf of bread, a piece of
paper, a bowl of soup, etc.
In (c): luck is an abstract concept, an
(c) I wish you luck abstract “whole”. It has no physical form:
you can’t touch it, you can’t count it.
In (d): phenomena of nature, such as
(d) Sunshine is warm and cheerful sunshine, are frequently used as
noncount nouns.
(e) Ann has brown hair. Some nouns can be as either count nouns
(f) Ann has a hair on her jacket. or noncount nouns, but they have
(g) I opened the curtains to let some different meaning, as in (e), (f), (g), and
light in. (h).
(h) I turned off the lights before I left
my house.

NOTE: for more examples of irregular singular-plural nouns and uncountable nouns, see the
appendices.

NOUNS AS MODIFIERS

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(a) The soup has vegetables in it. It is When a noun is used as a modifier, it is in its
vegetable soup. singular form, as in (a) and (b).
(b) The building has offices in it. It is an office
building.
(c) The test lasted two hours. It was a two- When a noun used as a modifier is combined
hour test. with a number expression, the noun is
(d) His daughter is seven years old. He has a singular and a hyphen (-) is used, as in (c) and
seven-year-old daughter. (d).

SOME COMMON NONCOUNT NOUNS

(a) Whole groups made up of similar items:

Baggage, clothing, equipment, food, fruit, furniture, garbage, hardware, jewelry, junk,
luggage, machinery, mail, money,/cash/change, postage, scenery, traffic.
(b) Fluid: water, coffee, milk, oil, blood, gasoline, etc.
(c) Solid: ice, bread, cheese, meat, gold, iron, silver, glass, paper, wood, wool, etc.
(d) Gases: steam, air, oxygen, smoke, pollution, etc.
(e) Particles: rice, chalk, corn, dirt, grass, hair, salt, sugar, etc.
(f) Abstractions: beauty, confidence, education, fun, happiness, advice, time, homework,
work, grammar, vocabulary, energy, etc.
(g) Language: Arabic, Chinese, English, etc.
(h) Fields of study: chemistry, engineering, history, mathematics, etc.
(i) Recreation: baseball, soccer, chess, etc.
(j) General activities: driving, studying, swimming, walking, etc (other gerunds).
(k) Natural phenomena: weather, dew, fog, heat, rain, snow, thunder, wind, light, sunshine,
electricity, fire, gravity, lightning.

A. State whether the statements are correct or incorrect.

1. a. There are many mouses in our house.
b. There are many mice in our house.

2. a. Some churches in our country are old buildings.

b. Some churchs in our country are old buildings.

3. a. I need to buy some furniture for my new apartment.

b. I need to buy some furnitures for my new apartment.

4. a. If you drink too much coffees, you will feel dizzy.

b. If you drink too much coffee, you will feel dizzy.

5. a. Hendra Wijaya is such an honest boy.

b. Hendra Wijaya is such a honest boy.

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B. Choose the Correct Answer

1. My scissors _____ sharp enough. I am going to buy a new one.

(A) is not (C) does not
(B) are not (D) do not

2. Long before _____ are able to speak or understand a language, they communicate
through facial expressions and by making noises.
(A) child (C) children
(B) childs (D) childrens

3. The police _____ to interview Fred about robbery.

(A) want (C) wants
(B) are wanting (D) were wanted

4. Mathematics _____ my best subject at school.

(A) is not (C) not does
(B) are not (D) do not

5. The trousers you bought for me _____ fit me.

(A) is not (C) does not
(B) are not (D) do not

6. My hometown has _____, thunder, fog, sleet, and snow in the winter months.
(A) rains (C) rain
(B) rained (D) raining

7. It would be better to check your _____ if you go to the post office.

(A) mailing (C) mail
(B) mails (D) mailes

8. We are going to cook these _____ on the barbeque.

(A) steak (C) steakes
(B) steakoes (D) steaks

9. _____ usually inherit some characteristics from their father and some from their mother.
(A) childrens (C) children
(B) childes (D) childs

10.There was not much__________ in the pool so we did not swim.

(A) waters (C) watering
(B) water (D) watered

C. Choose the letter of the underlined word that is not correct

1. To make a yummy fruit salad we need some apples, tomatos, water melons, and papayas.
A B C D

2. The informations you gave to the detective was misleading, so you should clarify it soon.
A B C D

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3. Organisms that lack hard parts, such as worms and jelly fishes have left a meager geologic
A B C D
record.

4. Homeworks are not only given to the pupils in Junior high school but also to the children in
A B C D
elementary school.

5. Art of colonial America was very functional, consisting mainly of useful objects such as
A B C
furnitures and household utensil.
D

6. George had a good luck when he first came to a state university.

A B C D

7. In 1959 it was naively predicted that eight or ten computer would be sufficient to handle
A B
all of the scientific and business needs in the United States.
C D

8. After spending most of his life travelling round the world, he is now writing a book about
A B C
his experiences.
D

9. I know I always feel great in bright sunshines, during the summer months.
A B C D

10. I had a pair of knifes on the table, which I was going to use later for dinner. .
A B C D

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UNIT 3
WORD ORDER

WORD ORDER OF ADJECTIVE S IN NOUN PHRASE

Det. Opinion Fact Noun

Size Age Shape Color Origin Material Purpose
A silly young English man
Two huge round metal bowls
Some small red sleeping bags

WORD ORDER IN SENTENCES

Word order for a simple and affirmative sentence.

subject verb(s) object

I speak English
Mary and Jim finish their assignment

subject verb indirect object direct object place time

I will tell you the story at school tomorrow

Word order in a negative sentence.

subject verb indirect object direct place time

object
I will not tell you the story at school tomorrow.

POSITION OF TIME EXPRESSION

subject verb indirect object direct object time

tomorrow, recently,
I will tell you the story now, then,
yesterday.

POSITION OF ADVERBS

1) Adverb of Frequency
These adverbs are usually put before the main verb (except for 'be' as a main verb).

subject auxiliary/be adverb main verb object, place or time

They often go swimming in the evenings.
He doesn't always play tennis.
We are usually here in summer.
I have never been abroad.

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2) Adverb of Manner

direct These adverbs are put behind

subject verb(s) adverb
object the direct object (or behind
He drove the car carefully the verb if there's no direct
He drove carefully object).

3) Adverb of Place

direct
subject verb(s) adverb Like adverbs of manner, these
object
adverbs are put behind the
I didn't see him here
direct object or the verb.
He stayed behind

4) Adverbs of Time

indirect direct Adverbs of time are

subject verb(s) time
object object usually put at the end
I will tell you the story tomorrow of the sentence.

SUBJECT AUXILIARY WORD INVERSION

In normal everyday English, inversion is used :

► to make questions : does he?, can you?
► after so, neither, nor : so do I, neither do I.
In written English, as well as in a very formal style, inversion is used in the following cases :
(a) At no time did she say she would come. After negative adverbial expressions
(b) On the doorstep was a bunch of flowers. After adverbial expressions of place
(c) Seldom have I seen such a beautiful view. After seldom, rarely, never
(d) No sooner had I arrived than they all started After hardly, scarcely, no sooner, when
to argue. one thing happens after another
(e) Only after the meeting did I realize the After adverbial expressions beginning
importance of the subject. with 'only'
(f) Here comes the winner! After exclamations with here and there

A. State whether the statements are correct or incorrect.

1. a. I am interested in buying a wonderful old Italian clock.

b. I am interested in buying an old wonderful Italian clock.

2. a. My husband really wants to have some slim new French trousers.

b. My husband really wants to have some French slim new trousers.

3. a. Sonya always goes to school on foot because her school is very close to her house.
b. Sonya goes always to school on foot because her school is very close to her house.

4. a. Never I have seen such a great movie.

b. Never have I seen such a great movie.

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5. a. Only after the car crash have they become careful drivers.
b. Only after the car crash they have become careful drivers.

B. Choose the correct answer.

1. Tom is very temperamental, and he _____ .

(A) always gets angry
(B) gets always angry
(C) always angry gets
(D) angry always gets

2. He likes his new job very much, so he _____ every day.

(A) works hardly
(B) hard works
(C) hardly work
(D) works hard

3. My younger brother plays _____.

(A) the piano very well
(B) very good the piano
(C) very well the piano
(D) the piano very good

4. The entertainer Chubby Checker introduced a _____ to New York’s rock’ n ‘ roll fans.
(A) new dance, the twist,
(B) twist, was the new dance,
(C) twist, the new dance,
(D) new dance is the twist,\

5. I think Jane deserved to be fired for her _____.

(A) totally behavior irresponsible
(B) behavior totally irresponsible
(C) irresponsible totally behavior
(D) totally irresponsible behavior

6. _____ appeared to be coming from the science lab next door.

(A) The pungent unpleasant odor of burning plastic
(B) The unpleasant pungent odor of burning plastic
(C) The pungent unpleasant odor of plastic burning
(D) The unpleasant odor pungent of burning plastic

7. One of Farah’s favorite subjects in school is drama because _____ lots of fun and enjoys
being part of it all
(A) has really she
(B) she really has
(C) she really is
(D) is she really

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8. Only after they had completed the analysis to that degree ___ how to apply technology to
the needs of our enterprise.
(A) did they ask to begin
(B) did they begin to ask
(C) they did begin to ask
(D) to ask did they begin

9. The archeologists were astonished to find such _____ at that particular site.
(A) an incredibly rare beautiful artifact
(B) a rare incredibly beautiful artifact
(C) a beautiful artifact incredibly rare
(D) an incredibly beautiful rare artifact

10._____ explores the nature of guilt and responsibility and builds to a remarkable
conclusion.
(A) The written beautifully novel
(B) The beautifully written novel
(C) The novel beautifully written
(D) The written novel beautifully

C. Choose the incorrect answer.

1. Overtime the young students will perfect the art of piano playing. After all such a tuned finely
A B C D
instrument needs delicate handling.

2. In that particular department of the company, production keeps going often day and night.
A B C D

3. The tenants were asked to throw all recyclable trash into the green big plastic bag.
A B C D

4. I know I feel always great in bright sunshines during the summer months.
A B C D

5. Bella is a beautifully girl who always goes to campus by car every day.
A B C D

6. There are some importance points that they are going to discuss tomorrow.
A B C D

7. When my brother was studying abroad he got married to a small Canadian thin lady.
A B C D

8. George gave his wife a beautiful blue boat sailing as a birthday present.
A B C D

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9. Young mothers like cooking with microwave because it can cook fastly.
A B C D

10.Uncle Jim walks with shakily because he is getting old and once he got a tremor.
A B C D

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