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.

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download