THE NOUN Number There is a group of English nouns that are considered uncountable and are used in singular (no plural!). In Russian some of these nouns are countable and therefore plural. For example, the noun advice is considered uncountable; it has only this form and takes a verb in singular. We say. His. advice (advices) is (are) always useful. Compare that in Russian we say. Его советы (мн. ч.) всегда полезны or Его совет (ед. ч.) полезен.

Nouns that are considered uncountable: Advice, equipment, evidence, fruit, fun furniture, hair, homework, information, jewellery, knowledge, luck, money, news, research, progress, seaside, work, etc.

There is a group of English nouns that can be used as countable or uncountable (singular or plural) with a difference in meaning. For example, the noun room, when used uncountable, is singular and means место, пространство: There is enough room for everybody in the bus. (В автобусе хватает места для всех). When it is used countable it means комната, then it is both singular and plural: There is a room in the flat. (В квартире одна комната). There are four rooms in the flat. (В квартире четыре комнаты).

Uncountable nouns that can turn into countable : Glass (стекло) - a glass (стакан), hair (волосы) - a hair (волос), iron (железо) - an iron (утюг), experience (опыт)- an experience (событие), work (работа)- a work (произведение),paper (бумага) - a paper (газета), etc.

There is a group of English collective nouns that are usually considered singular but may, in other cases, be considered plural. For example, the noun team is singular when it is regarded as one unit: Our team is winning. (A team as a whole). a whole). When we mean each member of this unit individually we say: The team me going back to their homes. (Each member individually). . Collective nouns that can be both singular and plural: Army, audience, class, committee, company, crew, crowd, government, group, faculty, family, team, etc.

There is a group of English nouns that look as if they were plural (they end in -s) but they are singular in meaning. They take a singular verb. For example, the noun news even though it ends in -s is singular and takes a singular verb: Yesterday all the news on TV was about terrorism.

Nouns ending in -s that are singular: Word: news Academic disciplines: politics, economics, electronics, physics, mathematics (maths) Sports: athletics, gymnastics Diseases: measles, diabetes, mums An amount of money, a time period, distance, weight: Thirty thousand pounds was stolen in the robbery. Five years is a long period.

There is a group of English nouns ending in -s that can be singular or plural (-s remains in singular and plural). For example: The tram is a popular means of transport. Both tram and trolleybuses are convinient means of transport.

Nouns ending in -s that can be singular or plural: means средство/а; способ/ы, series серия/и, species вид/ы

There is a group of English nouns that are always plural, though they do not end in -s. For example, the noun police does not have -s at the end, but is plural and takes a verb in plural. Note that some of the corresponding Russian nouns take a verb in singular: Where were (plural) the police yesterday? Где была (ед.ч.) полиция вчера?

Plural nouns without –s: People (люди), police (полиция), clergy (духовенство), cattle (крупный рогатый скот), poultry (домашняя птица)

There is a group of English nouns that denote clothes and tools, such as ‘trousers' (брюки) and 'scissors' (ножницы) that are made of two similar parts. They are always used in plural. In Russian some of these nouns are singular. Compare the following two sentences: Где моя пижама (ед.ч.)? Where are (is) my pajamas?

Plural nouns that denote clothes and other thing that people wear: Trousers, jeans, leggings, shorts, shoes, gloves, pajamas, tights, sunglasses, earrings, etc.

There is a group of English nouns ending in -s that have only a plural form when they are used with a particular meaning. They take verbs in plural. For example, you can buy 'goods' (товары), but not 'a good’. In Russian some of these nouns may have both singular and plural forms.

Nouns ending in -s that have no singular form (without -s) and that take verbs in plural: Clothes (одежда), goods (товар/ы), proceeds (доход/ы), riches (богатство/а), stairs (пестница/ы), looks (вид, наружность), good looks (красота, миловидность), earnings (заработок/и), greens (зелень), outskirts (окраина/ы).

There are several English nouns ending in -s can take verbs both in singular and plural. Compare these two sentences: These chemical works pollute air. This chemical works pollutes air.

Nouns that always keep –s and take verbs in singular and plural: Headquarters (штаб- штабы) works (завод-заводы)

There are several Russian nouns that are always plural in Russian but are singular and plural in English. Study the following examples: There were golden watches of different prices displayed for customers. It was the watch of my dream. : Russian nouns, which are always plural. Their English equivalents are both singular and plural: Ворота (мн. ч.) a gate – gates, cани (мн. ч.) a sledge – sledges, каникулы (мн. ч.) a vacation – vacations, часы (мн. ч.) a watch/clock - watches/clocks.

Some countable nouns have irregular plural. Countable nouns that have the same form for singular and plural: a sheep - ten sheep, a trout - ten trout, a deer - ten deer, a fish - ten fish BUT: In the lake there are fishes of many varieties. Countable nouns thai change vowels in the root: a man - men, a woman - women, a foot - feet, a tooth - teeth, a louse - Itee, a mouse - mice, a goose - geese, etc. Countable nouns that add '-en': a child - children, an ox - oxen Countable nouns that are borrowed from Greek and Latin: a medium - media, a criterion - criteria, a datum - data, a crisis - crises, a phenomenon - phenomena, etc.