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FAQ - English: Singulars and Plurals of Nouns (Music Library)
ENGLISH: SINGULARS AND PLURALS OF NOUNS
Cook Music Library Brief Guides, No. 29
Regular Plurals:
Most nouns add s to form the plural.
Many nouns ending in s, sh, ch, x, and z form their plurals by adding es:
church churches
waltz waltzes
Nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant form their plural in ies:
symphony symphonies
but nouns ending in y preceded by a vowel just add s:
key keys
Irregular Plurals:
Some nouns taken directly from ancient Greek or Latin have the original endings in the plural:
Singular Plural
addendum addenda
alumnus (masculine) alumni
alumna (feminine) alumnae
crisis crises
criterion criteria
emphasis emphases
parenthesis parentheses
phenomenon phenomena
synthesis syntheses
thesis theses
Some nouns taken from Latin may look singular but they are actually plural:
Singular Plural
medium media
datum data
Nevertheless, many modern authors treat them as a collective singular:
The media has the power to manipulate the public.
As the data shows, nonverbal clues are important in teaching.
A few nouns of Germanic origin change the middle of the word in forming the plural:
Singular Plural
man men
mouse mice
tooth teeth
woman women
Some nouns remain the same in the singular and the plural:
deer
sheep
series
Some Common Abstract Nouns Do Not Take The Indefinite Article:
advice evidence information
He gave me some advice [or evidence or information].
He gave me a piece of advice [or evidence or information].
NOT: He gave me an advice [or evidence or information].
Note: These nouns never take S to form a plural.
Some Nouns That Seem Plural Are Actually Treated As Singular:
economics
Economics governs musical performance more than we might like.
news
The news of Napoleon's activities was so disillusioning that Beethoven crossed out his dedication of the Third Symphony to the French emperor.
physics
The physics of music is a field that all music students should know something about.
repertoire
The piano repertoire is larger than the repertoire for any other instrument.
Some Nouns of Italian Origin Have Two Possible Plurals (English and Italian):
Singular Plurals
concerto concertos concerti
cello cellos celli (rare)
ritornello ritornellos ritornelli
solo solos soli (rare)
But other, similar nouns of Italian origin have only English plurals:
altos
pianos
sopranos
David Lasocki
rev. 11/9/01
