Nouns and Pronouns

 

Welcome to Our Online English Grammar HELP! Student Handbook!

Today's activities concern nouns and pronouns. It is for beginners and intermediate learners of English.

What's wrong with this sentence?

Problem:  A wedding is the ceremony that marks the union between two peoples.

Begin this unit by going to our Introduction to Nouns and Pronouns, which you will find in our  Library.  (If you do not have a Library Card, please register for one.) You can locate the lesson One, Two, Three Little Countable Nouns. You may want to review that lesson before you begin today with the exercises.  In that lesson,  we answer the questions: What are nouns? What are pronouns?

1-3 Plural Countable Nouns

 

To continue from what we wrote in our prior lesson, there are two types of countable plural nouns:  regular and irregular.

In this lesson, we discuss countable nouns whose plural form is irregular.

1-3b Irregular Plural Countable Nouns

 

Some count nouns have an irregular plural form.

Here are some common examples:

person ⇒--> people
woman --> women
man --> men
child  --> children


Problem:     A wedding is the ceremony that marks the union between two peoples.
Solution:     A wedding is the ceremony that marks the union between two people.
 

There is no specific way to know which nouns are regular and which are irregular.

"How can I know which nouns are regular and which nouns are irregular?" 

The best way to know a noun's plural form, and to know which nouns are irregular, is to do lots of reading.  You can also use a dictionary as a learning resource.  In a dictionary, if a noun has an irregular plural form, the plural form will be given right after the noun's pronunciation.  Listening to others speak can help as well, but always make sure that you are hearing what the other person is saying and not what you think he/she is saying.

Below are sentences from your essays in which common irregular plural nouns are used correctly:


People from many countries come to visit the Galapagos Islands.
I believe that God helps people who help themselves.
In China, most people are Buddhist.
Many parents want the best for their children.
The other children and I used to watch the fireflies.
I saw two men lying on the train tracks.

POWER EDIT #1

In the following sentences from ESL students' writing, you will find problems in countable nouns. find each error and correct it.

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN.

You will find the answers in our "Answer Key".

Next... Noncount Nouns

 

Please join us for our next lesson, Noncount Nouns.

So from the ESL Help Desk, thanks for dropping by this week - and remember to email us your questions about English grammar by sending your comments through our blog.

 

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