THE NOUN

The Number

EXERCISE № 1. Make the following nouns plural.

A. Pin, hat, fox, baby, day, potato, volcano, piano, photo, knife, roof, half, leaf, cliff, chief, life, family, queue, bath, berry, valley, century, salmon, taxi, person, penny, watch, virtuoso, lily, woodworm, child, goose, man, foot, mouse, woman, sheep, person, deer, ox, tooth, ship, fish, fireman, mouse, swine, house, louse, goose, mongoose, means, series, species, aircraft, story, play, glass, flag, photo, name, match, knife, bush, chief, page, radio, roof, prize, set, key, factory, wolf, class, cup, city;

B. German, Swiss, Japanese, Maltese, Portuguese, Chinese, Milanese;

C.Criterion, datum, formula, crisis, stimulus, index, phenomenon, medium, oasis, nucleus, memorandum, basis, radius, analysis, symposium, hypothesis;

D. Passer-by, mother-in-law, room-mate, forget-me-not, merry-go-round, fellow-worker, man-of-war, school-inspector, commander-in-chief, boy-messenger, personnel-manager, woman-driver, man-servant, hanger-on, face-lift, spoonful, cupful, boyfriend, grown-up, office-block, workmate, fellow-worker, merry-go-round, man-of-war, passer-by, sister-in-law, forget-me-not, room-mate, lily-of-the-valley, ticket-holder, commander-in-chief, governor-general.

EXERCISE № 2. Make the following nouns plural.

A. Army, baby, bag, bed, beer, bench, bird, box, boy, brother, brother-in-law, brush, bush, cage, cake, child, chop, college, country, day, daughter, deer, dish, dog, dress, egg, exercise, face, family, fish, foot, goose, half, handkerchief, hospital, house, housewife, knife, lady, lamp, lawn, leaf, library, man, mass, match, mother-in-law, mouse, niece, nursery, orange, page, pantry, parrot, party, passer-by, patch, penny, phoneme, piano, policeman, potato, postman, roof, saleswoman, sentence, shelf, sheep, sister-in-law, sitting-room, sofa, son-in-law, sportsman, story, study, suffix, swine, tape-recorder, tea-pot, test, text, tie, toast, tomato, toy, turkey, wife, waitress, wolf, woman, writer, woman-servant.

B. Basis, bath, birth, bunch, clergyman, court martial, crisis, criterion, cry, datum, downfall, echo, enemy, Englishman, extremity, finger-tip, forget-me-not, formula, fox, genius, hearth, hero, joy, journey, key, lie, looker-on, loss, man-of-war, mischief-maker, ox, penknife, pie, portfolio, possibility, rock, ship, spy, stepdaughter, thief, volcano, youth.

EXERCISE № 3. Make the following nouns singular.

Children, women, lorries, bodies, men, brushes, knives, keys, colonies, halves, ministries, flies, matches, universities, babies, watches, lives, ways, ladies, shelves, copies, libraries, wolves, tomatoes, potatoes, bushes.

EXERCISE № 4. Change the italicized word from singular to plural. Then make the necessary change in the form of the verb.

1) My book is on the desk.	1) My books are on the desk too.
2) That man speaks English well.	2) Those men speak English well too.
3) That boy plays in the park.	3) Those boys play in the park too.
4) This child plays with the dog.	4) These children play with the dog too.
5) This mouse runs into the hole.	5) These mice run into the hole too.
6) There is another knife is on the table.	6) There are other knives on the table.
7) The wolf runs after the deer.	7) The wolves run after the deer.
8) This bus arrives on time.	8) These buses arrive on time too.
9) The cat runs after the mouse.	9) The cats run after the mice.
10) My class begins at one o'clock.	10) My classes begin at one o'clock too.
11) This dress is pretty.	11) These dresses are pretty too.
12) That pencil is on the desk.	12) Those pencils are on the table too.

EXERCISE № 5. Change the italicized word from singular to plural. Then make the necessary change in the form of the verb. Use the word either.

1) This child isn't sleepy.	1) These children aren't sleepy either.
2) Her daughter-in-law is not 30 yet.	2) My daughters-in-law aren't 30 either.
3) This box isn't big enough.	3) These boxes aren't big enough either.
4) That watch isn't fast.	4) Those watches aren't fast either.
5) This tomato isn't very tasty.	5) These tomatoes aren't tasty either.
6) My goose isn't always in the pond.	6) My geese aren't always in the pond either.
7) That church isn't very large.	7) Those churches aren't very large either.
8) This policeman isn't very sympathetic.	8) These policemen aren't very sympathetic either.
9) This passer-by isn't very attentive.	9) These passers-by aren't very attentive either.
10) My mouse isn't white.	10) My mice aren't white either.
11) This ox isn't very obedient.	11) These oxen aren't very obedient either.
12) This toy-deer isn't broken.	12) These toy-deer aren't broken either.
13) That sheep isn't wild.	13) Those sheep aren't wild either.
14) This tooth isn't filled.	14) These teeth aren't filled either.
15) This woman isn't busy.	15) These women aren't busy either.

EXERCISE № 6.Take the part of Speaker B and answer using the number two.

Example: Did they ask the child? - More than that. They asked two children.

1) Did Billy break his tooth?	1) He broke two teeth.
2) Did you see a fireman? (policeman)	2) I saw two firemen.
3) Did you see a policeman?	3) I saw two policemen.
4) Did she buy a steak knife?	4) She bought two steak knives.
5) Did you catch a fish?	5) I caught two fish.
6) Did Mr Lane lose a calf?	6) Mr. Lane lost two calves.
7) Did you see a woman there?	7) I saw two women there.
8) Did she ask the salesman?	8) She asked two salesmen.
9) Did the wolf kill a sheep?	9) It killed two sheep.
10) Does she have a goose?	10) She has two geese.
11) Did Mrs Finch bake a loaf of bread?	11) She baked two loaves of bread.
12) Did Felix catch a mouse?	12) Felix caught two mice.
13) Did the wind damage any house?	13) The wind damaged two houses.
14) Did you get a watch for your birthday?	14) I got two watches.
15) Is there a circus in town?	15) There are two circuses.
16) Does she have a green blouse?	16) she has two green blouses.
17) Do you have enough to fill a box?	17) I have enough to fill two boxes.

EXERCISE № 7. Write out the nouns which are used only in the plural form (you must get 25 nouns).

Athletics, cattle, scissors, taxes, pyjamas, economics, police, news, means, goods, pants, subjects, billiards, darts, outskirts, premises, mechanics, spectacles, clothes, stairs, maths, shorts, tights, gymnastics, congratulations, crossroads, patience, scales, lodgings, foundations, equipment, research, authorities, soap, contents, looks, countryside, traffic-lights, tongs, toothpaste, headphones, delays, binoculars, electronics, eyes, trousers.

EXERCISE № 8. Divide the following words into two columns: countable and uncountable nouns (you must get 25 uncountable nouns).

Furniture, coffee, leaf, food, computer, list, blood, job, work, language, country, advice, information, money, progress, permit, permission, baggage, luggage, beach, traffic, weather, window, knowledge, air, water, holiday, damage, accommodation, scenery, scene, pigeon, bread, mountain, kick, news, accident, laugh, flour, laughter.

EXERCISE № 9. Answer the questions using the prompts in brackets. Pay attention to the pronouns that substitute for the nouns.

1) Where are the police? (in the house)	1) They are in the house.
2) Where are your clothes? (in the suitcase)	2) They are in the suitcase.
3) Where is the money? (on the table)	3) It is on the table.
4) Where are the goods? (on board the ship)	4) They are on board the ship.
5) Where is the furniture? (in the truck)	5) It is in the truck.
6) Where are my pyjamas? (in the drawer)	6) They are in the drawer.
7) Where are my glasses? (on your nose)	7) They are on your nose.
8) Where are the scales? (on the counter)	8) They are on the counter.

EXERCISE № 10. Complete these dialogues using a suitable plural noun or uncountable noun. Make sure the form of each word is correct. Look at the example first.

Example:

A: It's too hot for jeans.

B: You need a pair of shorts

1) I have to cut this paper into three pieces.	You need scissors.
2) I can't see because the sun is in my eyes.	You need sunglasses.
3) I don't know what to do when I leave school.	You need some advice.
4) My room looks so empty.	You need some furniture.
5) I want to find out how much I weigh.	You need scales.
6) I can't play my music loud because my mother always complains.	You need headphones.
7) I'm starting to feel cold in bed.	You need pyjamas.
8) My teacher said my English wasn't getting any better.	You need some practice.

EXERCISE № 11. Correct the statements using the number two and some additional words to make uncountable nouns countable.

Example: We need some bread. - I think we need two loaves of bread.

1) He gave me some advice.	1) He gave you two pieces of advice.
2) He bought some new furniture.	2) He bought two pieces of furniture.
3) They have some news.	3) They have two pieces of news.
4) They have some luggage.	4) They have two pieces of luggage.
5) I need hot tea.	5) You need two cups of hot tea.
6) You need shorts.	6) I need two pairs of shorts.

EXERCISE № 12. What things which are always plural can be used to:

1. cut a hedge?

2. get a splinter out of your skin?

3. keep a prisoner's hands together?

4. weigh something?

5. look at distant objects?

6. cut paper?

7. get a nail out of a piece of wood?

8. hold your trousers up?

EXERCISE № 13. Fill the gaps with an appropriate plural-form noun.

1. (To a child) Come on! Get your ______ on! It's time to go to bed.

2. The ______ of the rock concert are going to the international 'Save the Children fund'.

3. The_______ in the new concert hall are superb. I've never heard such clear sound.

4. The escaped prisoner is tall, dark and has a beard. His _______are unknown, but the search is continuing.

5. You don't have to wear _______ to ride, but it's much more comfortable.

6. The _______ have forbidden the import of all foreign _______ .

EXERCISE № 14. In this little story, there are some nouns that should be plural but are not. Change the text where appropriate.

I decided that if I wanted to be a pop star I'd have to leave home and get lodging in London. I finally got a room, but it was on the outskirts of the city. The owner didn't live on the premise, so I could make as much noise as I liked. The acoustic in the bathroom was fantastic, so I practised there. I made so much noise I almost shook the foundation! I went to the headquarter of the Musician' Union, but a guy there said I just didn't have a good enough look to be famous. Oh well, never mind!

EXERCISE № 15.Choose the correct form, singular or plural.

1. The trousers you bought doesn't/don't fit you. They are/It is too short for you.

2. Physics was/were my best subject at school. - Really? But I think mathematics is/are much easier than physics.

3. Fortunately the news wasn't/weren't as bad as we had expected.

4. The police want/wants to interview me about the robbery.

5. Three days isn't/aren't long enough for a good holiday.

6. Where does/do your family live? - All my family live/lives with me.

7. England has/have lost all the football matches this season.

8. Does/do the police know about the stolen money?

9. Can I borrow your scissors? Mine isn't/aren't sharp enough.

10. I'm going to take a taxi. Six miles is/are too far for me to walk.

11. The danger of the forests fires is/are very serious for the environment.

12. The fear of the murder and robbery has/have caused many people to leave big cities.

13. The effects of that crime was/were very devastating for the city.

14. Fifty dollars is/are too much to pay for these trousers.

15. Mr Smith accompanied by his wife and daughter is/are arriving tonight.

16. The doctor and his assistant have/has already finished their work today.

17. The majority of the people believe/believes him to be innocent.

18. Neither Bill nor Mary is/are going to the party tonight.

19. Neither Jane nor her parents was/were at home.

20. The mass media, TV and the press have/has enormous power in any society.

21. The police have /has weighed all the evidence and have/ has found the accused guilty.

22. When is/are the daily news on? - They are/It is on every hour on channel A.

23. Your advice was/were very useful. I usually use your advice/advices when I'm in trouble/troubles.

24. This book contains much/many useful information/informations.

25. Money isn't/aren't everything in my life but it is difficult to live without it/them.

26. Fish/fishes travel long distances and different fish live/lives at different levels of water.

27. Coffee/a coffee or tea/a tea, please? - Two tea/teas and a coffee/coffee, please.

28. People/peoples eat more fruit/fruits now than they used to.

29. The fruits/fruit of nature belong to all mankind.

30. Too much/many knowledge/knowledges makes the head bald.

EXERCISE № 16.Choose the correct form.

Dear Polly,

Thank/thanks for your letter. Your news was/were interesting. We must talk soon. What about us? Well, we are living on the outskirt/outskirts of town, not far from the company head­quarter/headquarters where Bill works. We've spent nearly all our saving/savings on the house. That wouldn't matter so much if I hadn't crashed the car last week and done some damage/damages to the front of it. More bills! But at least I wasn't hurt. The house is nice actually, but the surroundings isn't/aren't very pleasant. We are on a very busy crossroad/crossroads.

I'm doing the course I told you about. Statistics is/are an easy subject, but economics give/gives me problems.

I am looking forward to seeing you soon.

With love,

Rita

EXERCISE № 17.Use the nouns in the singular or plural.

Crime

(Thief) have been around for (century), probably for as long as (human), but armed (robbery) is a more recent (phenomenon). Unfortunately (woman) always have been (victim) of rape and domestic violence. (Forgery) has been around ever since printing has been used to make (money) or produce (document). Rich people or their (child) are sometimes kidnapped and are not set free until a ransom has been paid.

The twentieth (century) saw the appearance of many organized (crime) such as hijacking and drug-smuggling or drug-trafficking. Statistics show an alarming rise in the rate of violent (crime) and (crime) to do with the illegal sale of arms across the world. Perhaps the most recent crime of all is hacking (computer) to access (information) that helps (competitor) in industry. This increase in international (crime) makes one wonder whether it is still true to say "(Crime) doesn't pay!"

EXERCISE № 18.Supply is, are, has or have.

1. The acoustics in this room …… very good.

2. This crossroads ……. dangerous.

3. There …… four crossroads in our village.

4. Acoustics ….. a subject I know little about.

5. Our company headquarters …… in London.

6. There …… many series of books on birds.

7. …… there any kennels in this area?

8. The statistics in these report …… inaccurate.

9. …… there any statistics for road accidents?

10. Many species of moth ……. disappeared.

11. This species …… green and white spots.

12. Our works ….. a good canteen.

13. My Maths …… got worse and worse!

14. There …. crossroads every mile.

EXERCISE № 19.Kate Brown sailed around the world alone on a small boat. You may read her diary now. There are some mistakes with nouns and with verb and pronoun agreement. Could you find and correct them?

May, 5th. Following your advices I keep the diary of my trip. I've been on the Canary Islands for three days now. I'll start home when the weathers are better. I was so surprised when I picked up my mails today. My family sent a lot of birthday present to me. My birthday is on the 7th. I won't open any presents until then.

May, 6th. I think the weather are getting worse. I heard thunders today, but there wasn't many rain. My cat and I stayed in bed. I started reading a novels.

May, 7th. I left the Canary Islands today. There's a strong wind and many sunshine now. To celebrate I drank little coffee for breakfast and opened my presents. I got some perfume and some pretty silver jewelries.

May, 8th. It rained today and I collected a few waters for cooking.

EXERCISE № 20. Supply the missing words.

1. The goods you ordered.........arrived.

2. Where............................the scissors? -...........are in the first drawer on the left.

3. How much................a good pair of trousers cost these days?

4. How much did you pay for............trousers? - …… were very expensive.

5. I know he's clever, but..................aren't the only thing in life.

6. I'm so pleased you got into university!............on your success!

7. If your clothes..............dirty, please put them in the laundry basket.

8. My jeans (not).....................faded much even though I keep washing ……….

9. I'm looking for the pliers. - You'll find.............on that shelf.

10. All their belongings.............................been destroyed in a fire.

11. My earnings (not)............................ high, but at least they...... regular.

12. These shorts..............fit me at all!

EXERCISE № 21. Put in singular or plural verb-forms.

LIES, DAMN LIES?

Statistics (be)¹..........a branch of economics, but it is often said that there (be)²..............lies, damn lies and statistics. Recent statistics of British life (show)³...................that the family (be)⁴………happier than it used to be. The youth of today (be)⁵...................likely to live longer than the previous generation. People (own)⁶................more things than they used to, but more police (be)⁷...................employed to fight crime. Mathematics (be)⁸...................a subject which is studied more by boys than by girls, as (be)⁹...................physics. The earnings of working women (be)¹⁰…….. getting higher all the time and many women earn more than their husbands. Good manners (be)¹¹..................declining. The public (spend)¹²..............more on clothes, and clothes (be)¹³.......... becoming more and more expensive. Glasses (be)¹⁴...................worn by more people, but only a minority (favour)¹⁵..................contact lenses. Statistics (make)¹⁶...........us want to grind our teeth and can probably tell us if we have any teeth left to grind!

EXERCISE № 22. Correct the mistakes in these sentences.

1. I need some informations.

2. We had a lovely weather.

3. The furnitures are very old.

4. I'm looking for a new jeans.

5. Your hairs are getting very long.

6. Do you have a scissors?

7. We had a lot of homeworks yesterday.

8. Do you think she's making a progress with her English?

9. These trousers is too small.

10. She gave me some good advices.

11. We had such a terrible weather that we left the camp-site and got an accommodation in town instead.

12. In the North of England, most houses are made of stones, but in the South, bricks are more common.

13. I love antique furnitures, but I would need an advice from a specialist before I bought any. My knowledges in that area are very poor.

14. Her researches are definitely making great progresses these clays. She has done a lot of original works recently.

EXERCISE № 23. Cross out the incorrect noun.

1. To press you need iron/an iron.

2. Language/a language is a unique phenomenon.

3. In her youth she was beauty/a beauty.

4. We are looking for people with experience/an experience.

5. He kept his money in tin/a tin under the bed.

6. She has been looking for work/a work for three months.

7. You should study law/ a law at the University.

8. Then everybody called for him to make speech/ a speech.

9. There is an egg/egg on your cheek.

10. I don't eat a chicken/chicken, I'd rather have a fish/fish.

11. A paper/paper is made of wood.

12. ''Waiter, a coffee/ coffee and two cakes, please.''

EXERCISE № 24. Translate from Russian into English.

Эти очки очень темные.	These spectacles (glasses) are very dark.
Незабудки - его любимые цветы.	Forget-me-nots are his favourite flowers.
Где деньги? - Они на столе.	Where is the money? - It is on the table.
Какие последние новости?	What's the (latest) news?
Не трогай эти грязные носовые платки.	Don't touch these dirty handkerchiefs.
Его знания по немецкому оставляют желать лучшего.	His knowledge of German leaves much to be desired.
Те весы - неправильные. Не трогай (не бери) их.	Those scales are wrong. Don't take them.
У нее длинные густые волосы.	She has long thick hair.
Те ножницы ужасно тупые.	Those scissors are awfully blunt.
Официант! У меня в супе три волосинки!!!	Waiter! There are three hairs in my soup!!!
Эти шарфы более дорогие, чем те.	These scarfs(ves) are more expensive than those ones.
Овцы едят траву, да?	Sheep eat grass, don't they?
К чему наши советы? Ты же видишь, она в них не нуждается.	What is our advice for? You see, she doesn't need it.
У меня для тебя хорошая новость.	I have good news (a good piece of news) for you.
Ворота были сломаны.	The gate was broken. The gates were broken.
Я дам тебе три совета.	I will give you three pieces of advice.
Его зарплата ниже зарплаты жены.	His wages are lower than his wife's.
Полиция ищет его.	The police are looking for him.
Местонахождение преступника неизвестно.	The whereabouts of the criminal are unknown.
Какая интересная работа!	What interesting work!

EXERCISE № 25. Translate from Russian into English.

Фундамент дома сделан из камня.	The basis of the house is made of stone.
Земля вращается вокруг своей оси.	The Earth rotates about/around its axis/revolves on its axis.
Какту­сы растут в пустынях.	Cactuses/cacti grow in deserts.
Многие бактерии вызывают болезни.	A lot of bacteria cause diseases.
Это уникальное явление.	This is a unique phenomenon.
Он один из ге­ниев.	He is one of the geniuses.
В этом кувшине духи (джины).	There are genies/genii in this jug.
Эти данные надежны.	These data are reliable.
Компания переживает финансовый кризис. (to face smth)	The company is facing a financial crisis.
Используйте эту формулу, чтобы посчитать объем этого контейнера. (to calculate smth)	Use the formula to calculate the volume of the container.

EXERCISE № 26. Translate from Russian into English.

В этой реке много рыбы.	There are a lot of fish in this pond.
Рыба проплывает боль­шие расстояния.	Fish can cover long distances.
Эта девочка плавает как рыбка.	The girl swims like a fish.
Не грусти, свет клином на нем не сошелся.	Don’t be sad! There are many other fish in the sea.
Какая странная рыба! У нее один глаз. — Это результат плохой эко­логии.	What a strange fish! It has got one eye. – That is the result of bad ecology.
Рыбаки поймали полдюжины форелей.	The fishermen caught half a dozen trout.
Сколько рыб ты поймал в воскресенье? — Ни одной, но я получил удовольствие от рыбалки.	How many fish did you catch on Sunday? – Not a single but I really enjoyed the process.
В аквариуме у Николаса было семь рыбок, но кошка съела двух, так что осталось пять рыбок.	There were seven fish in Nicolas’s aquarium, but his cat ate two, so there are only five fish left.
Птички летают, рыбки плавают.	Birds fly, fish swim.
Родители подарили мальчику красочный альбом об экзотических рыбах.	The boy’s parents gave him a bright album on exotic fishes.

EXERCISE № 27. Translate from Russian into English.

Вымой фрукты и поло­жи их в вазу.	Wash the fruit and put it in the vase.
На Сицилии растут различные цитру­совые фрукты.	Different citrus fruits grow on Sicily.
У рябины очень красивые плоды.	Rowan trees have beautiful fruit.
Абрикос — король фруктов. Это очень полезный фрукт.	The apricot is the king of fruits. It is a very useful fruit.
Для многих людей фрукты очень дорогие, они не могут позволить их себе каждый день.	Fruit is very expensive for many people and they can’t afford it every day.
Различные фрукты использу­ются в косметологии.	Different fruits are used in cosmetology.
В этом году много фруктов.	There is much fruit this year.
Эти фрукты свежие?	Is this fruit fresh?
В августе созревают различные фрукты.	Different fruits ripen in August.
Летом и осенью бывает очень много фруктов.	In summer and in autumn there is very much fruit.