BEHAVIOUR OF THE NOUN
To study the behavior of the Nouns, they may be put in the following two groups :
Group 1 : This group includes those nouns which are always used in the plural. A list of such.
1. Riches 2. Premises 3. Spectacles 4. Bowels
5. Valuables 6. Proceeds 7. Alms 8. Billiards
9. Movables 10. Wages 11. Thanks 12. Annals
13. Trousers 14. Goods 15. Socks 16. Shorts
17. Pantaloons 18. Tidings 19. Scissors 20. Stockings
Example :
a) Kindly give me a scissor. (incorrect)
Kindly give me a pair of scissors. (correct)
b) My spectacles have been broken.
Group 2 : This group includes those nouns that look plural but are used Singular. A list of such :
1. Mathematics 2. Statistics 3. Economics 4. Politics
5. Gymnastics
Example :
a) Mathematics are a difficult subject. (incorrect)
Mathematics is a difficult subject. (correct)
NOTE :
1. 'Cousin' is never followed by 'brother' or 'sister'.
2. We do not write a man. We write to a man.
3. 'Boarding' is a wrong use. It should be 'boarding house'.
4. 'Poor people' is a slang use. It should be 'the poor'.
5. Food taken once is 'meal' and not 'meals'. Meals means both 'lunch and dinner' and we cannot take them together.
6. 'Tickets' mean 'the number of tickets'. 'Ticket' means 'the mode of entry'.
7. 'Inning' is no word. The actual word is 'innings' and is always used in the singular in English.
8. 'English Teacher' is slang. It should be 'The teacher of English'.
9. Noun or pronoun after 'one of' should always be plural.
10. Mankind is not used in the plural sense.
11. The plural of some compound nouns are listed below :
a) Son-in law Sons-in law b) Brother-in law Brothers-in law
c) Passer-by Passers-by d) Major-General Major-Generals
e) Lord-Justice Lords-Justice f) Man-servant Men-servants
12. The use of ('s) is usually limited to living things, 'of' is used in the case of lifeless things, e.g., The girl's leg; but the leg of the table (and not the table's leg).
13. When two nouns indicate common possession, ('s) is added to the later one, when they indicate separate possession,('s) is added to each one of them; e.g.,
a) Mohan and Sohan's father (one Person)
b) Mohan's and Sohan's father (Two Persons)
14. Our's, your's, her's, their's is wrong.
Ours, yours, hers, theirs is correct.
15. The following nouns are always used in Plural :
Alms, arms, annals, Billiards, bowels, breeches, eatables, fetters, goods, measles, movables, premises, proceeds, pantaloons, riches, surroundings, stocks, stockings, spectacles, scissors, shorts, thanks, tidings, tongs, trousers, valuables, wages, police, people, poultry, gentry, public, cattle, clergy, folk.
16. The following nouns are always used in Singular :
Athletics, classics, economics, gymnastics, gallows, innings, mathematics, mechanics, news, politics, physics, summons, issue, offspring, abuse, advice, rice, gram, fuel, furniture, stationary, scenery, poetry, information, cavalry, infantry, mischief, alphabet, hair, bunting, bedding.
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