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Grammar
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Nouns and Pronouns
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Noun modification, part 1 There are several ways
to modify a noun. For any given situation, there may be only one or two
correct ways. There aren’t any
reliable rules that will tell you which pattern is correct for which
situation; each noun has its own idiomatic usage. Whenever you are not sure,
I recommend a concordance
search or a Google search so that
you can discover which form is correct.
Further In Read, Write,
Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 146-147
Noun modification, part 2
Adjective + Noun vs. Noun + Noun There
aren’t any reliable rules that will tell you which pattern is correct for
which situation; each noun has its own idiomatic usage. Whenever you are not
sure, I recommend a concordance search
or a Google search to look for examples
of a specific word combination so that you can discover which form is most
common. Incorrect:
She is taking a linguistic
class. (Adjective + Noun) Correct:
She is taking a linguistics
class. (Noun + Noun) Correct:
Workers were laid off
from their jobs at an automotive plant. (Adjective + Noun) Also Correct: Workers were laid off
from their jobs at an automobile plant. (Noun + Noun) Correct: Also Correct, but
with a different meaning:
They need to create a popular
graph. (Adjective + Noun) Further
Noun modification, part 3
Possessive + Noun vs. Noun + Noun Another way to modify a
noun is with a modifying noun. This is often the case when the modifying noun
is not specific. Incorrect:
She fried the batter in olive’s
oil. Correct:
She fried the batter in olive
oil. It is difficult to
predict which type of noun modification is going to be more standard, or if
there is going to be a meaning difference between two types of modifier.
Using a web search to look for examples of a specific word combination may be
the best method. Correct: Asafa Powell of Also correct: Asafa Powell of Links: Further In
Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 146-147
Noun number: Singular, plural, or noncountable noun, part 1
The ending -s
or -es on a noun usually means plural.
Do not use
apostrophe-s (‘s) to spell the plural ending. Apostrophe-s means possessive.
Regular plural nouns
form their plurals in this way.
Irregular plural
nouns, by definition, are formed in some other way.
Don’t pluralize
adjectives or modifying nouns.
Use this strategy:
identify every noun and ask: (a)
is it a countable noun, or an uncountable noun? (b)
if it is countable, is there one, or are there more than one? (c)
Does it have a regular plural form, or an irregular plural?
Don’t write a noun
according to what you think “sounds right”! Instead, use your knowledge of
the rules. Links:
Noun number: Singular, plural, or noncountable
noun, part 2
Error with a singular, plural, or noncountable
noun The
ending s or es on a noun usually means plural.
The ending s or es
on a noun usually means plural. Do
not spell it <‘s> .
Regular plural
nouns form their plurals in this way.
Identify every noun and ask: (a)
is it a countable noun, or an uncountable noun? (b)
if it is countable, is there one, or are there more than one? (c)
Does it have a regular plural form, or an
irregular plural?
Don’t write a noun
according to what you think “sounds right”!
Don’t pluralize
adjectives. Links: Further In Writing Clearly:
An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 213-219 In Read, Write, Edit:
Grammar for College Writers, see pages 6, 18 In Eye on Editing 2,
see pages 24-32
Noun number: Singular, plural, or noncountable noun,
part 3 Irregular plural Some irregular nouns are
not marked with the plural noun suffix –s. Incorrect: Bacterias are all around us. Correct: Bacteria are all around us. Examples
of nouns with irregular singular or plural marking: addendum, addenda alga, algae alumna, alumnae (feminine) alumnus, alumni (masculine or
mixed gender) amoeba, amoebae/amoebas analysis, analyses antenna, antennae/antennas apex, apices/apexes appendix, appendices/appendixes
automaton, automata axis, axes bacillus, bacilli bacterium, bacteria barracks, barracks basis, bases cactus, cacti/cactuses cervix, cervices/cervixes child, children crisis, crises crisis, crises criterion, criteria crossroads, crossroads curriculum, curriculums/curricula
datum, data deer, deer diagnosis, diagnoses die, dice emphasis, emphases erratum, errata fish, fish/fishes focus, foci foot, feet formula, formulae/formulas fungus, fungi gallows, gallows goose, geese headquarters, headquarters hypothesis, hypotheses index, indices, indexes larva, larvae louse, lice man, men matrix, matrices/matrixes
means, means medium, mediums/media memorandum, memoranda/memorandums mouse, mice nebula, nebulae/nebulas neurosis, neuroses nucleus, nuclei oasis, oases octopus, octopi/octopuses ovum, ova ox, oxen parenthesis, parentheses person, people/persons phenomenon, phenomena radius, radii series, series sheep, sheep sock, sox/socks species, species stimulus, stimuli stratum, strata syllabus, syllabi/syllabuses symposium, symposia/symposiums synopsis, synopses terminus, termini thesis, theses thesis, theses tooth, teeth vertebra, vertebrae vortex, vortices woman, women Links: Further In Writing Clearly:
An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 213-220 In Read, Write, Edit:
Grammar for College Writers, see pages 6, 18 In Eye on Editing 2,
see pages 24-32
Noun number: Singular, plural, or noncountable noun,
part 4
Plural marking on an adjective Adjectives in English
cannot be marked for plural. This is also true for modifying nouns, even when
the modifying noun has a plural meaning.
Links: Further In Writing Clearly:
An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 218,219 In Read, Write, Edit:
Grammar for College Writers, see pages 6, 18 In Eye on Editing 2,
see pages 24-32
Noun number: Singular, plural, or noncountable
noun, part 5
Plural marking on a modifying noun Do not pluralize a modifying noun. Incorrect: Gilligan went on a three-hours cruise. Correct: Gilligan went on a three-hour cruise. Links: Further In Writing Clearly:
An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 218, 219 In Read, Write, Edit:
Grammar for College Writers, see pages 6, 18 In Eye on Editing 2,
see pages 24-32
Noun number: Singular, plural, or noncountable noun,
part 6
Noun reference in a general statement
A generalization is
a statement that can be true about the entire class of things named by a
noun. (People are strange is a generalization, but Martin is
strange is not. The word people names an entire class, while Martin
names a certain individual.) In a generalization, three
strategies are common:
Occasionally, the
is used before a singular count noun in a generalization. This usage tends to
be restricted to inventions, musical instruments, and animal species. Correct: The computer is
ubiquitous on college campuses. Correct: The guitar can be played
as a solo instrument or as part of a rhythm section. Correct: The cheetah has been
clocked at speeds of over fifty miles per hour.
Noun number: Singular, plural, or noncountable noun, part 7 Check to see if a
noun is count or noncount
Links: Further In Writing Clearly:
An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 218,219 In Read, Write, Edit:
Grammar for College Writers, see pages 6, 18 In Eye on Editing 2,
see pages 24-32
Pronoun, part 1
Links: Noun
and Pronoun Characteristics Agreement:
pronoun-antecedent
Pronoun, part 2
Problem with passive
in a relative clause Links: Further In Writing Clearly:
An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 104, 107-111 In Read, Write, Edit:
Grammar for College Writers, see pages 127-136 In Eye on Editing 2,
see pages 55-59 |
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a society's demise |
means |
The demise of a society |
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the world's people |
means |
The people of the
world |
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David Webster's The Fall of the Ancient Maya |
means |
The Fall of the Ancient Maya, by David Webster [1] |
Links:
Apostrophe - Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
The
Apostrophe
Nouns as Possessives
Further
In Read, Write, Edit:
Grammar for College Writers, see pages 8, 162
Possessive, part 4
Wrong or missing
possessive pronoun or possessive adjective
Further
In Read, Write, Edit:
Grammar for College Writers, see pages 8, 162
Topics: