When they are used. Plural of nouns in English. Special cases of plural nouns

Demonstrative pronouns in English, they do not name a person or object, but point to it. Usually demonstrative pronouns include this, that and their plural forms these, those.

Demonstrative pronouns This - That and the difference between them

Pronoun this used to refer to an object or person that is nearby, like “this one” in Russian. Pronoun that indicates an object, a person in the distance, like “that” or “that” in Russian. This in the plural is these, that in the plural is those:

This and that refer to noun determiners, words that clarify meanings.

I hold the book in my hands, looking at the pictures.

I like this book. - I like this book.

I don't like these pictures. - I do not like these Pictures.

In the bookstore, I point to the books on the shelf:

I like that book. - I like that book.

I don't like those books. - I do not like those books.

Pronoun that it is far from always appropriate to translate into Russian as “that, that”. “This, this” is more suitable. For example, I am talking about a book that the interlocutor mentioned in a conversation. There is no book nearby, it is only mentioned.

I like that book. - I like this book.

This is That as noun pronouns

The pronouns this and that can act not as noun determiners, but in roles inherent in the noun itself. For example:

This is what we wanted. - This is what we wanted.

That was a good show. - It was a good performance.

I don't like this.- I do not like this is.

Can you see what?- You this is see?

Demonstrative pronouns Such, Same

Demonstrative pronouns also include such and the same. Both pronouns do not have special plural forms.

1. Pronoun Such

The pronoun such means “such”, “of this type, kind”. If such comes before a singular noun, a : is placed between them:

It was such an interesting movie. “It was such an interesting film.

beer? At such a time? - Beer? At such an hour?

The pronoun such is often used in surprised exclamations - joyful or not:

Such a wonderful place! - What a wonderful place!

Such a mess! - What a mess!

If such is in front of a plural noun, no article is needed:

I don't know such people. “I don't know such people.

Why would she ask me such questions? Why would she ask me such questions?

2. Pronoun Same

The pronoun same means “the same”, “the same”. Because same emphasizes a particular noun, it is always preceded by

Personal pronouns. in English they have two cases: nominative (usually as subject) and object (in a sentence as additions).

Face	Nominative case	Object case
	Singular
	I [ aI] I	me [ mJ] me, me
	you [ jH] you	you [ jH] you, you
	he [ hJ] he she [ SJ] she is it [ It] he she it	him [ hIm] him, him her [ hW] her, her it [ It] him, her, him, her
	Plural
	we [ wJ] we	us [ As] us, us
	you [ jH] you	you [ jH] you, you
	they [ DeI] they	them [ Dem] them, them

I [ aI] - I

Pronoun I always written with a capital (capital) letter, regardless of the place it occupies in a sentence. If it is in the same sentence with other personal pronouns (or nouns), then it is placed after them:

you [ jH] - you you

In English, there is no distinction between a polite form of address You and more familiar - you like the Russian language. Pronoun you has one form for singular and plural, and the predicate after it is always plural.

Note: When they want to provide understanding of the pronoun you how plural numbers, then in British English they say: you two / three ..., you lot, you people, and in American - you folks, you all's, you guys (regardless of the gender of the interlocutors).

he [ hJ] - he she [ SJ] - she is

Pronoun he replaces a noun denoting males. Pronoun she replaces a noun denoting females. Speaking of animals, pronouns he or she they use it only when they want to emphasize their gender, as well as in various fairy tales, fables, or in descriptions of the habits and character of their pets, thus distinguishing them from the general mass.

Exception: In England, when talking about a ship (of any size and purpose) or a car, they use the pronoun she(but speaking, for example, about an airplane - it). The names of most countries are also considered feminine nouns: England, Russia, etc.

it [ It] - he she it

Pronoun it replaces a noun denoting an inanimate object, abstract concept, animal or plant, and also replaces a noun baby, child – child if they do not focus on the field of the child. Translated into Russian by the words he she it depending on the gender of the corresponding noun in Russian.

I looked at the window. It was closed.	I took a look at window. It was closed.
Where is your cat? – It is on the sofa. It is sleeping.	Where's your cat(your cat)? – He (she is) on the sofa. He (she is) is sleeping.

they [ DeI] - they

Pronoun they replaces both animate and inanimate plural nouns:

Personal pronouns in the nominative case perform the function subject and nominal part of compound predicate.

1 As subject:

2 As nominal part of compound predicate it is possible to use personal pronouns in nominative, as well as in object cases. At the same time, the forms of the nominative case are considered book-official, and the forms of the objective case are considered colloquial.

Who is there? – It is I. = It is me . (colloquial form) Who's there? - It I.

Objective case.

Pronouns without preposition.

Typical model: indirect object without preposition+ direct complement .

Personal pronouns in the objective case perform the function:

1 direct complement(accusative case, answer the question whom? what?)

He saw me in the street.	He saw me on the street.
I love you.	I love you.
Do you know him?	You know his?
take it!	Take her/it! (e.g. notebook)

2 or unprepositional indirect object(dative case answering the question to whom?):

In the last example, "book" is a direct object. A pronoun without a preposition that answers a question whom? - to whom?, is a non-prepositional indirect object and always comes before a direct object (unlike a pronoun with a preposition).

3 and also used in short replicas:

Who broke the vase? – Not me! / Me. Who broke the vase? - Not I! / I .

I am feeling tired. - Me too.I am (very) tired/(feeling tired). - I too.

Preposition pronouns.

Typical model: direct complement + indirect object with preposition .

Combining a pronoun in the objective case with a preposition is a prepositional indirect object and always comes after a direct object.

1 pronoun combination with a pretextto corresponds dative case in Russian ( to whom?):

2 pronoun combination with prepositionsby andwith corresponds in Russian creative case( by whom? how?):

3 Pronouns in the objective case, used with any prepositions, are translated into Russian by pronouns in various oblique cases (gen. who?, what?; dates to whom; to what?; creates. who?, what? and prepositional About who about what?) depending on the preposition followed by the pronoun:

This letter is for you.	This letter For you.
tell me everything about them.	Tell me everything about them.
She looked at us in silence.	She silently looked on us.

After any preposition, you should use a pronoun in the form of an objective case, for example: From whom? From whom?-From me. From me .; To whom? To whom?-To me. Co. to me .; With whom? With whom?- With me. So me .

Polysemy of the pronoun it.

Pronoun it may be personal, index and impersonal:

1 Personal pronoun. Translation: he she it or his her etc.

a) If the pronoun it comes first in a sentence, replacing the previously mentioned inanimate noun, then it translates nominative case - he she it , for example:

b) If the pronoun it follows the predicate, taking the place of the direct complement, then it is translated. object case pronouns, namely his her, to him etc.

2 index pronoun. translate as " this is ".

What is it ? - It is a tree.

Whatthis is ? - it - wood.

Can be used instead of the previously mentioned words:

Instead of the previously mentioned concepts and descriptions:

3 Impersonal service word. Does not translate.

a) If the pronoun it comes first in a sentence, but does not replace a previously mentioned noun, it is formal subject of an impersonal sentence It is typical for sentences that talk about weather, time, distance, various measurements, etc.

It is cold. It is dark. It is raining. It is snowing.Cold. Dark. It's raining. Snowing.

It was winter. It was winter.

Time, distances and various measurements:

What day of the week is it ? What day of the week is today?

It 's Saturday. It 's the 12th of February. = It 's February 12th.It's Saturday now. 12th of February.

It 's 10 o'clock. Ten o'clock.

It is two miles to the station.The station is two miles away.

And other impersonal suggestions:

It 's too late. Too late.

b) Pronoun it can be a formal subject when the present subject is expressed infinitive, gerund (-ing form) or subordinate clause and is at the end of the sentence: In Russian, in these cases, the formal subject is dispensed with:

It is dark to read.
It was useless trying to see him.	Was useless try to see him.
It 's hard to know what he really thought.	It's hard to know what does he really think.

in) in passive structures. With some passive verbs as the formal subject:

It is known…	Known…
It is reported that the plane landed.	Reportthat the plane has landed.

4 Included in amplifying turnover composition it is (was) ... who / that(does not translate). Here it refers to the predicative (part of the compound predicate), which becomes the informational focus of the sentence.

It was he who did it.	Exactly hedid it.
It is here that we meet every Sunday.	Exactly herewe meet every Sunday.

Used in set expressions:

It 's wonderful!	Fabulous!
It 's great! It 's super!	Great! Super!
It 's no use. It 's no good.	Useless.
It doesn't matter.	No matter. It does not matter.

“this” - it is used in many impersonal sentences, where it is almost always omitted when translated into Russian. The plural is not so simple. But first things first.

Functions of the pronoun it

1. As a personal pronoun

   Everything is simple here - the pronoun it replaces an inanimate noun:

   I have an apple. It is green- I have an apple. It's green.
   Give me that laptop. It is on the table Give me that laptop. He lies on the table.

2. It as an impersonal pronoun

   Here the pronoun it already has many more functions. Please note that in many cases where it is used as an impersonal pronoun, it is omitted when translated into Russian.

   • Indicates a fact or situation that is known or happening at the moment:

     When the factory closes, it will mean 500 people losing their jobs When a factory closes, that means 500 people lose their jobs.
     Yes, I was at home on Sunday. What about it? Yes, I was at home on Sunday. So what?

   • Is the subject of an impersonal verb:

     It is snowing on the mountains- It's snowing in the mountains.
     It is Sunday today- Today is Sunday.

   • Performs the function of a formal subject:

     It is not easy to defeat him It's not easy to defeat him.
     It is dangerous to play with fire- It is dangerous to play with fire.

   • As part of the construction it is + noun + who / that focuses on any part of the sentence:

     It was Susie who painted this picture It was Susie who painted this picture.
     It was John who broke the window It was John who broke the window.

   • It acts as the subject when it comes to date, time, distance:

     It's ten past twelve- It's half past one.
     It's two miles to the beach“It's two miles from the beach.

   • Used in the passive voice:

     It was decided that we should all swim across the lake before breakfast It was decided that we should all swim on the lake before breakfast.
     It is accepted that research into cancer has advanced considerably in the last few years– It is believed that research in the field of cancer has advanced significantly in the last few years.

3. As a demonstrative pronoun.

   In this role, the pronoun it is used in cases where in a conversation I introduce myself or ask about the identity of the interlocutor:

   Who is it?- Who is this?
   Hello, it's Jane Hello, this is Jane.

Plural pronoun it

The pronoun it is not used in the plural. In this case, they is used instead. They has three forms: the subject they, the object them, and the possessive form their(s). They and its forms are only used as personal pronouns:

They study English- They are learning English.
I gave them my English textbook I gave them my English textbook.
Their English friend never liked me Their English friend never liked me.

Exceptions and Features

The exceptions related to it concern the use of this pronoun with animate objects. There are three cases where it is used with animate objects.

With animals:

Look at this snake: it sleeps– Look at this snake: it is sleeping.
I love my dog. It is almost human- I love my dog. She is almost human.

With babies:

This baby is hungry, it hasn't been eating for three hours This child is hungry, he has not eaten for three hours.
The baby is crying. It must be hungry- The baby is crying. He must be hungry.

When in a conversation someone introduces themselves or asks about the identity of the interlocutor:

Who is it? It's your wife- Who is it? Is it your wife.

The peculiarities of the pronoun it include the confusion that often occurs when using the abbreviated form it is - it’s (this) and the possessive pronoun its (his). It is important to remember the difference between them and that these options are not interchangeable. Compare two examples:

It's an apple- This Apple.
Look at this tree. Its apples are gree n - Look at this tree. His apples are green.

Useful video on the topic:

Most textbooks offer an analysis of the topic of the singular and plural by category of parts of speech: noun, verb, pronoun. We have prepared for you an unusual excursion into the world of numbers. Today we’ll talk about the most common cases and the rules of “multiplication” in general, consider similar in appearance, but different in grammatical functions, changes in different parts of speech, as well as some exceptions (sometimes it seems that English is one big exception), and we will try to apply all this in the "natural environment".

Singular in English ( singular/sg) designates or characterizes one subject:

a game
-self
this/that
he loves

Plural (plural/pl) is used when the number of items is more than one:

two cups of coffee
-selves
these/those
they love

Ending -s/ -es

The ending -s- is one of the most common surviving endings in English and is an indicator of number. If a word ends in a hissing sound s/ ss/ x/ sh/ ch, it acquires the ending -es(this is due to a more convenient pronunciation and does not visually lead to a heap of hissing):

to match - it matches
to wash - she washes
a fox - foxes
a dress - dresses

From the examples above, you can see that:

he loves- singular
two cups- plural

The question arises - why?
The thing is that in the examples above, the ending -s- appears in different parts of speech.
The number category of verbs is active only in the present tense. The exception is to be in the temporary form Past Simple (was/were).
In this way at verbs the ending -s/ -es indicates the use of the singular.

e.g.
Pl. vs. Sg.
we go - she goes
I spell - he spells(it is worth noting that in Present Simple the pronoun I makes grammatical connections according to the plural principle with verbs and has a special form to be).
they say - it says

Nouns the reverse principle applies. The ending is an indicator of plurality.

eg.
Sg. vs. Pl.
a ticket - tickets
a bus - buses
a college - colleges

Words that end in -y-

The principle of change / non-change -y- operates in English regardless of the part of speech. It should be remembered:

* if -y- is preceded by a vowel, in the plural, the ending -s- is added to the word, and the letter -y- is retained:

a ray - rays
to buy - she buys

* if -y- is preceded by a consonant, in the plural the letter -y- is changed to -ie-, followed by a plural ending:

to try - he tries
sky - skies

Now let's talk about special cases of changing the number, characteristic only for a certain part of speech.

Nouns in singular and plural

In addition to the cases that we considered earlier, there are “special” numerical formations.
1. Changing the word form.
There are a number of words that form the plural form by changing the root vowels, sometimes the change affects the entire word form. These examples are not numerous. They are often singled out as exceptions. Let's list them:

man - men(and derivatives - fireman - firemen/ policeman - policemen)
woman/ˈwumən/ – women/ˈwɪmɪn/ (and derivatives - policewomen)
tooth-teeth
foot - feet
goose-geese
mouse - mice
louse-lice
child - children
ox-oxen

Also in English there are a number of nouns that are written and pronounced the same regardless of their number - their forms are absolutely identical:

sheep-sheep/ sheep - sheep
swine – swine/ pig - pigs
deer – deer/ deer - deer
grouse – grouse/ black grouse, partridge - black grouse
series-series/ series - series
species - species/ view - views ( species of butterflies- species of butterflies)
corps/kɔːr/ – corps/ type of army

2. Borrowing
There is a fairly capacious category of borrowed words that have retained changes in the endings of their native language when forming plural forms. Most often these are words of Latin and Greek origin:

Sg. vs. Pl.
-us/ -i(cactus - cacti/ˈkæktaɪ/) - cactus
-on/ -a(phenomenon - phenomena)
-is/ -es(crisis-crises)
-um/ -a(datum - data)
-ex/ -ices (index - indices)
-a/ -ae(formula - formulae)

In colloquial speech, these words do not constitute a daily minimum, but can be found in any situation.

3. “Numeric preferences”
In English, you can find nouns that are used only in the singular or only in the plural. Exceptions again! Most often, these are uncountable nouns or concepts that already include a certain amount in their meaning.

Singular forever. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that these nouns are recommended to be learned and remembered, since they can be found in almost any area of ​​our life, and the principle by which they formed their attachment to the singular is often quite arbitrary.

money
hair(in the meaning of “hair” / can be plural in the meaning of “hair”, “hairs”)
news
information
knowledge
weather
work
advice
bread
furniture
music
progress

Words that lay in their meaning a certain amount ( dozen- a dozen / score- ten / head- when counting cattle by head) both numbers are allowed, but with numerals they are used only in the singular:

three dozen roses

Plural prefer paired items (scissors- scissors, pants- pants, spectacles- glasses, glasses- points, etc.), some geographical names ( The Netherlands, The Phillipines, The High Lands, etc.)

There are words that cannot be grouped, which should only be remembered:

police
people- people (it is possible to use “ a person” in the singular)/ a “ people - peoples” means people - peoples
clothes
contents
wages
riches- wealth
manners
customs
outskirts
proceeds
goods

Verbs in singular and plural

we can - she can
you must - he must

The verb to be has a special relationship with numerical changes. It has specific shapes for each face - am/ is/ are(in present tense) and were/were(in the past time).

we are - he is
they were - it was

Pronouns in singular and plural

In English personal pronouns and their possessive forms have the category of number:
Sg. vs. Pl.
I-we
it - they
he-they
she-they
my - our

You always presented in the plural, although it is possible to meet the singular form Thou/ðaʊ/, which is used when referring to God.
In this case, most pronouns either completely change the word form, or imply a certain number, by analogy with the Russian language:

every- each (sg.)
all- all (pl.)

A special case of plural changes occurs in reflexive and demonstrative pronouns.

Reflexive pronouns contain a morpheme in the word -self, which in the plural will take the form -selves:

myself - myself
yourself - yourselves
himself - theirselves

Demonstrative pronouns also acquire new characteristics in sound and spelling:

this - these
that - those

We wish you intensive entertaining practice and success!

Victoria Tetkina

As you know, all parts of speech are divided into independent and auxiliary. As in Russian, pronouns in English belong to an independent part of speech, which denotes an object or is its attribute, but does not name persons and objects directly. These words do not name relations and properties, they do not give a spatial or temporal characteristic.

Pronouns (Pronouns) in English replace the noun, which is why they are called “in place of the name” - He, you, it. These words can also be used instead of an adjective - Such, that, these. As in Russian, so in English, there are a lot of such lexical units, but it is necessary to know them and use them correctly. Therefore, we proceed directly to the study.

According to their meaning, Pronouns can be classified into several groups. I suggest that you familiarize yourself with this classification and the features of each of the groups:

Personal (Personal) - the most important and common pronouns. In a sentence, they act as the subject. And the word "I (I)" is always capitalized, regardless of whether it is at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. And the pronoun you (you, you) expresses both the plural and the singular.

It should also be remembered that lexemes he (he) and she (she) use when they want to designate an animated person, and it- to refer to animals, abstract concepts and inanimate objects. BUT "they" It is used both for inanimate objects and for animate persons.

Personal pronouns in English are declined by case. In the case when they play the role of a subject in a sentence, they are in the nominative case, and when they play the role of an object, they are in the object case. To make it clearer to you, study the table

Face	Nominative case		Objective case
	Singular
1	I	I	me	me, me
2	you	you	you	you, you
3	he	he	him	him, his
	she	she is	her	her, her
	it	it, he, she	it	him, her, him, her
	Plural
1	we	we	us	us, us
2	you	you	you	you, you
3	they	they	them	them, them

Possessive pronouns

English possessive pronouns (Possessive) we discussed in detail in the previous article. But still, let me remind you that they express belonging, have two forms - an adjective and a noun, answer the question “Whose?” and do not change in numbers. There is also a special absolute form. Look at the table, how Possessive Pronouns are declined:

pronouns
the form	personal	possessive	absolute
unit. number	I he she it	my his her its	mine his hers her its his/her
Plural number	we you they	our your their	ours yours theirs

Demonstrative pronouns in English

Demonstrative or demonstrative - point to a person or object. Demonstrative pronouns in English do not change by gender, but decline by number, that is, they have singular and plural forms. Wherein " this"They call an object that is next to the speaker, and the word" that” denotes an object located at a considerable distance.

In addition, “that” can be translated into Russian as “this, this”. Demonstrative pronouns in English in a sentence can act as a subject, object, attribute or noun.

Reflexive pronouns in English

Reflexive or reflexive - express a reflexive meaning, show that the action is directed at the actor himself, therefore, reflexive pronouns in English in a sentence correspond in form to the subject.

Their distinguishing feature is that they end in "- self"in the singular or "- selves" in plural)". In Russian, this is the verbal suffix “-sya (-s)” or the pronoun “himself (himself, himself, himself)”: He cut himself - He cut himself

Singular		Plural
myself		ourselves
yourself		yourselves	yourself (themselves)
himself	himself (himself)	themselves
herself
itself
oneself indefinite personal form

Indefinite pronouns in English

Indefinite is one of the most numerous groups of English pronouns. In sentences, nouns and adjectives can be replaced. Indefinite pronouns in English can be conditionally divided into words, formed from “no” (no, not at all), “any” (any, a few, a little) and “some” (a few, a little).

no		any		some
noone/nobody	nobody	anyone/anybody	someone/someone, anyone	someone/somebody	somebody/someone
nothing	nothing	anything	something/something, whatever	something	something
nowhere	nowhere	anywhere	somewhere/somewhere, anywhere/anywhere	somewhere	somewhere
		anyhow	somehow / somehow, somehow	somehow	somehow / somehow
		any day/any time	whenever	some time/some day	someday

Other Indefinite Pronouns include: every, each, both, all, few, little, many, much.

Interrogative pronouns in English

Interrogatives are very similar to relative ones, but perform completely different functions in a sentence where they are subject, adjective or object: Who is there? - Who's there? Sometimes they can be a nominal part of the predicate. Interrogative pronouns in English are also called "question words":

• who? - who?
• which? - which the?
• whom? - whom? to whom?
• where? - where?
• what? - what?
• whose? - whose?
• when? - when?
• why? - why?

Other pronouns

We have looked at the main and more numerous pronouns in more detail, but there are other groups of pronouns in English:

• Universal: all, both, everyone, everybody, everything, every, either, each
• Dividers: another, other
• Negative: no, nobody, nothing, no one, neither, none
• Relative: that, which, whose, who