Grammar
Lesson
4
Grammar
Singular and Plural There + Be + Noun Articles and Quantity Words
Context
Americans and Where They Live
6859_Ch04_pp097-128.indd 97
10/8/09 1:12:26 PM
Americans and Where They Live1
Before You Read
1. Do you know anyone who lives alone? 2. Does your family own a house or rent an apartment?
CD 1, TR 16
Read the following Web article. Pay special attention to plural nouns.
*
There are over 300 million people in the United States.
? The average family has 3.19 people. ? 6% of children live in households run by one or both grandparents. ? 68% of children live with two parents.
? 16% of males 25?34 live at home with one or both parents.
? 9% of females 25?34 live at home with one or both parents.
? 27% of Americans live alone. (Compare this figure to the percentage in 1940--8%.)
? 39% of households have a dog. ? 31% of households have a cat.
Homes: ? 67% of American families own their homes. ? 25% of homeowners are over 65 years old. ? The price of homes depends on the city where you live. Some cities, such as San Francisco, Boston, San Diego, Honolulu, and New York, have very expensive homes. ? The average American moves a lot. In a five-year period, 46% of Americans change their address. Renters move more than owners. Young people move more than older people.
98 Lesson 4
1Statistics are from the 2007 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
4.1 Singular and Plural--An Overview
EXAMPLES
Some kids live with one parent. Some kids live with two parents. Everyone pays taxes.
Some young men and women live with their parents. Some children live with their grandparents.
EXPLANATION
Singular means one. Plural means more than one. Plural nouns usually end in -s or -es.
Some plural forms are irregular. They don't end in -s or -es.
man men woman women child children
EXERCISE
Tell whether the statement is true (T ) or false (F ).
EXAMPLE Homes in Boston are very expensive. T
1. Most American children live with their grandparents. 2. More Americans live alone now than in 1940. 3. Most people rent an apartment. 4. Americans stay in the same house for their entire lives. 5. Cats are more popular than dogs in American homes. 6. Families in the U.S. are small (fewer than five people). 7. Most children live with both parents. 8. The price of homes depends on where you live. 9. Most homeowners are over 65 years old. 10. More males 25?34 than females 25?34 live with their parents. 11. Homes in San Francisco are very expensive.
Singular and Plural; There + Be + Noun; Articles and Quantity Words 99
4.2 Spelling of Regular Noun Plurals
WORD ENDING
Vowel
EXAMPLE WORDS
bee banana pie
PLURAL ADDITION
+ -s
Consonant
bed
+ -s
pin
month
ss, sh, ch, x
class
+ -es
dish
church
box
Vowel + y
boy
+ -s
day
monkey
Consonant + y
lady story party
y + -ies
Vowel + o
patio
+ -s
stereo
radio
Consonant + o
mosquito
+ -es
tomato
potato
Exceptions: photos, pianos, solos, altos, sopranos, autos, avocados
f or fe
leaf calf knife
f + -ves fe + -ves
Exceptions: beliefs, chiefs, roofs, chefs
PLURAL FORM
bees bananas pies
beds pins months
classes dishes churches boxes
boys days monkeys
ladies stories parties
patios stereos radios
mosquitoes tomatoes potatoes
leaves calves knives
EXERCISE
Write the plural form of each noun.
EXAMPLES leaf leaves toy toys
1. dish 2. country 3. half 4. book 5. boy
6. girl 7. bench 8. box 9. shark 10. stereo
100 Lesson 4
11. knife 12. story 13. sofa 14. key 15. movie 16. squirrel 17. mosquito 18. lion 19. fly 20. cow 21. table
22. roach 23. fox 24. house 25. turkey 26. chicken 27. wolf 28. dog 29. bath 30. pony 31. duck 32. moth
4.3 Pronunciation of Plural Nouns
e
The plural ending has three pronunciations: /s/, /z/, and / z/.
PRONUNCIATION
/s/
RULE
Pronounce /s/ after voiceless sounds: /p, t, k, f, /.
EXAMPLES
lip--lips cat--cats rock--rocks cuff--cuffs month--months
/z/
Pronounce /z/ after voiced
cab--cabs
sounds: /b, d, g, v, m, n, , l, r/ lid--lids
and all vowels.
bag--bags
stove--stoves
sum--sums
e
e
/ z/
Pronounce / z/ when the base bus--buses
form ends in s, ss, ce, se, sh, ch, class--classes
ge, and x.
place--places
cause--causes
can--cans thing--things bill--bills car--cars bee--bees
dish--dishes beach--beaches garage--garages tax--taxes
EXERCISE
Go back to Exercise 2 and pronounce the plural form of each word.
Singular and Plural; There + Be + Noun; Articles and Quantity Words 101
4.4 Irregular Noun Plurals
SINGULAR
man woman tooth foot goose
PLURAL
men women teeth feet geese
EXPLANATION
Some nouns have a vowel change in the plural form. Singular: Do you see that old woman?
Plural: Do you see those young women?
sheep fish deer
sheep fish deer
Some plural forms are the same as the singular form. Singular: I have one fish in my tank.
Plural: She has ten fish in her tank.
child person mouse
children people mice
For some plurals, we change to a different form. Singular: She has one child.
Plural: They have two children.
pajamas clothes pants/slacks (eye)glasses scissors
Some words have no singular form. Examples: My pants are new. Do you like them?
My glasses are dirty. I can't see with them.
dozen hundred thousand million
Exact numbers use the singular form. Examples: The U.S. has over 300 million people.
I need to buy two dozen eggs.
dozens hundreds thousands millions
The plural form of a number is not an exact number. Examples: Thousands of people live alone.
Millions of people live in New York City.
Pronunciation Note: You hear the difference between woman (singular) and women (plural) in the first syllable. Listen to your teacher pronounce one woman and two women.
Language Note: The plural of person can also be persons, but people is more common.
EXERCISE
The following nouns have an irregular plural form. Write the plural.
EXAMPLE man
men
1. foot 2. woman 3. policeman 4. child
5. fish 6. mouse 7. sheep 8. tooth
102 Lesson 4
EXERCISE
EXAMPLE
Fill in the blanks with the correct plural form of the noun in parentheses ( ).
Some
people
(person)
like to live alone.
1. Most
(family)
in the U.S. own a house.
2. The U.S. has over 300 million
.
(person)
3. Americans move many
.
(time )
4. Some
(woman)
earn more money than their
.
(husband)
5.
are very expensive in some
(Home)
.
(city)
6. Divorce is very high in some
.
(country)
7. Some
live with only one parent.
(child)
8. How many square
does your house or
(foot)
apartment have?
9. Some
live with
.
(kid)
(grandparent)
10. The average family has 3.19
.
(person)
11. Some apartments have a problem with
.
(mouse)
12.
are popular in the U.S.
(pet)
13.
are more common than
(dog)
.
(cat)
14.
are interesting to watch.
(fish)
Singular and Plural; There + Be + Noun; Articles and Quantity Words 103
Finding an Apartment
Before You Read
1. Do you live in a house, an apartment, or a dorm?2 Do you live alone? 2. Do you like the place where you live? Why or why not?
Read the following Web article. Pay special attention to there + be CD 1, TR 17 followed by singular and plural nouns.
*
Did You
Know?
Nowadays, people search for apartments online using Web sites such as .
There are several ways to find an apartment. One way is to look in the newspaper. There is an "Apartments for Rent" section in the back of the newspaper. There are many ads for apartments. There are also ads for houses for rent and houses for sale. Many newspapers also put their listings online.
Another way to find an apartment is by looking at the buildings in the neighborhood where you want to live. There are often "For Rent" signs on the front of the buildings. There is usually a phone number on the sign. You can call and ask for information about the apartment that you are interested in. You can ask:
? How much is the rent? ? Is heat included? ? What floor is the apartment on? ? Is there an elevator? ? How many bedrooms are there in the apartment? ? How many closets are there in the apartment? ? Is the apartment available3 now?
If an apartment interests you, you can make an appointment to see it. When you go to see the apartment, you should ask some more questions, such as the following:
? Is there a lease?4 How long is the lease? ? Is there a janitor or manager?
104 Lesson 4
2Dorm is short for dormitory, a building where students live. 3Available means ready to use now. 4A lease is a contract between the owner (landlord or landlady) and the renter (tenant). It tells how much the rent is, how long the tenant can stay in the apartment, and other rules.
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