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nouns
Plural Nouns Spelling
‣ Normally words become plural by simply adding -s at the end of them.
Singular and Plural
bird + s → birds
advice
equipment
mud
stationery
baggage
furniture
music
time
butter
knowledge
pasta
traffic
clothing
lighting
rice
water
dirt
luggage
rust
weather
dust
machinery
scenery
bus + es → busesadress + es → adressesdish + es → dishes
watch + es → watchesbox + es → boxes
‣ For some words ending in -o we add -es.
echo + es → echoeshero + es → heroes
potato + es → potatoestomato + es → tomatoes
Note: However, for some words ending in -o we just add -s. E.g. discos, patios, pianos, etc.
These nouns are uncountable nouns. Do not use a/an, use some/a piece of: to give a
piece of advice.
‣ Nouns that have only a plural form and are used only with a plural verb:
binoculars
hackles
pliers
thanks
clothes
jeans
pyjamas
tights
congratulations
knickers
riches
trousers
contents
outskirts
scissors
tongs
firearms
panties
shorts
tweezers
glasses
pants
spectacles
goods
pincers
stairs
‣ For some words ending in -f or -fe we change -f and -fe to v and add -es.
elf → elvesleaf → leaveswolf → wolves
knife → kniveslife → liveswife → wives
Note: However, for some words ending in -f we just add -s. E.g. chefs, roofs, etc.
‣ Words ending in -y change -y to -ies.
baby → babiescity → citieslady → ladies
story → storiesparty → parties
BUT words ending in -ay, -ey, -oy, -uy do not change. We simply add -s.
holiday → holidays
toy → toys
key → keys
guy → guys
‣ In some cases, the spelling of some nouns are completely changed:
‣ Nouns with the same form in plural and singular:
bison
deer
salmon
hovercraft
carp
fish
sheep
spacecraft
chalk
moose
trout
wheat
cod
reindeer
aircraft
swine
‣ Nouns with a plural form but used with a singular verb:
billiards
checkers
measles
rickets
blues (music)
draughts
mumps
series
headquarters
notebook + s → notebooks
BUT we add -es after s, ss, sh, ch and x.
‣ Nouns that are always in the singular and are used with a singular verb:
bowls
chair + s → chairs
news
shingles
Singular
Plural
man
men
woman
women
person
people
child
children
foot
feet
tooth
teeth
goose
geese
louse
lice
ox
oxen
mouse
mice
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Collective nouns
‣ C ollective nouns refer to groups of various types. They can be used in both the singular
and plural, although collective nouns tend to be used in the singular.
board
crew
herd
pack
team
swarm
cattle
crowd
hive
party
committee
firm
jury
police
community
group
litter
staff
remember!
People and children are used in the plural: There were three people in the room.
gender
Masculine and feminine genders
‣ The masculine gender denotes the class of persons and animals that are male.
The feminine gender denotes the class of persons and animals that are female.
Masculine
bachelor
boy
boy scout
brave
bridegroom
brother
czar
father
gentleman
grandfather
hero
husband
king
Feminine
spinster
girl
girl guide
squaw
bride
sister
czarina
mother
lady
grandmother
heroine
wife
queen
Masculine
lad
landlord
man
monk
Mr.
nephew
sir
son
stepson
sultan
uncle
widower
wizard
Feminine
lass
landlady
woman
nun
Mrs.
niece
madam
daughter
stepdaughter
sultana
aunt
widow
witch
Feminine
countess
duchess
empress
giantess
godess
heiress
Feminine
hostess
mistress
Masculine
prophet
protector
Feminine
prophetess
protectress
‣ Names for professions with masculine and feminine forms:
Masculine
actor
author
conductor
governor
headmaster
hunter
manager
poet
Feminine
actress
authoress
conductress
matron
headmistress
huntress
manageress
poetess
Masculine
policeman
priest
salesman
schoolmaster
shepherd
steward
tailor
waiter
Feminine
policewoman
priestess
saleswoman
schoolmistress
shepherdess
stewardess
tailoress
waitress
‣ Feminine and masculine forms for animals or creatures:
Masculine
billy goat
boar
deer
buck rabbit
bull
bullock
cob (swan)
cock (rooster)
cockerel
colt (young horse)
dog
drake
Feminine
nanny goat
sow
doe
doe rabbit
cow
heifer
pen
hen
pullet
filly
bitch
duck
Masculine
drone
fox
gander
hawk
leopard
lion
peacock
ram (sheep)
stag
stallion
tiger
wolf
Feminine
bee
vixen
goose
bowess
leopardess
lioness
peahen
ewe
hind
mare
tigress
she-wolf
Common gender
‣ The common gender denotes the class of persons that can be male or female.
‣ Nouns with the feminine form ending in -ess:
Masculine
count
duke
emperor
giant
god
heir
Masculine
host
master
Masculine
master
mayor
millionaire
monitor
murderer
prince
Feminine
mistress
mayoress
millionairess
monitress
murderess
princess
acrobat
dean
merchant
principal
adult
european
missionary
professor
athlete
fan
motorist
pupil
baby
friend
movie star
secretary
child
guest
neighbour
teacher
clown
human
parent
tourist
cook
icon
partner
villain
cousin
judge
passenger
visitor
criminal
leader
person
worker
customer
life guard
pilot
youngster
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‣ Most words for jobs are common gender:
-er/-or
-ist
-ant/-ent
-ician
baker
anthropologist
accountant
beautician
barber
artist
assistant
electrician
bartender
chemist
consultant
magician
builder
dentist
flight attendant
musician
Negative
& Positive
Negative
Size
Location
Time
& Order
Number
in-
in-
micro-
trans-
fore-
hex-
dis-
il-
macro-
ex
post-
oct-
re-
ir-
mega-
extra-
retro-
multi-
peri-
prime-
semi-
Positive
nonmis-
butcher
economist
lieutenant
optician
conductor
florist
merchant
pediatrician
doctor
geologist
(civil) servant
politician
editor
journalist
president
physician
hairdresser
pharmacist
(travel) agent
technician
miner
psychiatrist
- Semi + circle = semicircle → A figure with the shape of half a circle (noun)
officer
recepcionist
- In + expensive = inexpensive → Not expensive (adjective)
researcher
scientist
rider
telephonist
senator
therapist
teacher
zoologist
- Over + eat = overeat → Eat too much (verb)
- Un + kind = unkind → Not kind (adjective)
- Dis + agree = disagree → Be of different opinions (verb)
- Mis + understand = misunderstand → Interpret in the wrong way (verb)
‣ Main prefixes meaning
Negative
Meaning
Example
Positive
Meaning
Example
un-
not
unbelievable
re-
go again
remarry
Neuter gender
im-
not
impossible
over-
too much
overload
‣ The neuter gender denotes the class of things without gender (male or female) that can
be referred to as it:
in-
not
indecisive
il-
not
illegal
ir-
not
irregular
writer
air
house
ocean
star
train
mis-
bad, wrong
misbehave
book
ice
pen
rock
velvet
dis-
opposite
disagree
bus
jar
pool
river
water
chair
notebook
sky
telephone
zoo
Time
& Order
Meaning
Example
ante-
before
antechamber
pre-
before
preadolescent
post-
after
postgraduate
Number
Meaning
Example
semi-
half
semicircle
mono-
one
monogamous
prefixes and suffixes
Prefixes and suffixes create new words by modifying or changing their meaning.
Prefixes
‣ Prefixes come at the beggining of the word and often change the meaning of it.
Negative
& Positive
Negative
Positive
Size
Location
Time
& Order
Number
un-
un-
re-
semi-
inter-
pre-
mono-
non-
im-
over-
mini-
super-
ante-
bi-
bi-
two
bicentury
multi-
many
multicolor
Size
Meaning
Example
semi-
half, partly
semicircle
mini-
small
minibar
macro-
large
macrobiotic
Location
Meaning
Example
inter-
between,
among
interact
trans-
across
transatlantic
ex-
out
exclude
sub-
under
subterranean
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Suffixes
‣ Suffixes come at the end of a word and often change the word class.
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs
-ance
-ate
-able
-ly
-dom
-en
-al
-ence
-fy
-ar
-er
-ify
-ble
-ian
-ise
-ed
-ing
-ful
-ion
-ible
-ist
-ic
-ity
-ical
-ment
-ive
-ness
-ish
-or
-less
-ship
-ous
- Improve + ment = improvement → progress (noun)
- Strength + en = strengthen → make strong or stronger (verb)
- Attract + ive = attractive → appealing (adjective)
- Sail + or = sailor → member of a ship crew (noun)
- Count + able = countable → that can be counted (adjective)
- Thoughtful + ly = thoughtfully → in a thoughtful manner (adverb)
‣ Main suffixes meaning
Noun
Meaning
Example
-ance
state
importance
-er,
-or
a person who/
thing which
actor,
teacher
-ist
a person who
zoologist
-ion
state/action
confirmation
-ment
state/action
measurement
-ship
state/condition
Verb
Meaning
-ate
-en
to make
Adjetive
Meaning
Example
-al
having the
quality of
economical
-ar
having the
quality of
triangular
-able, -ble capable of being reasonable
-ful
characterised by
colourful
scholarship
-less
without
careless
Example
Adverb
Meaning
Example
calculate
-ly
in the manner of
totally
strenghten
-ify
simplify
-ise
organise