NOUN Базанова М. К. Formation of Nouns. The

NOUN Базанова М.К.

Formation of Nouns

The most common noun-forming suffixes Productive -er painter -ist portraitist -ness carelessness - ism impressionism -ess hostess -ion suspicion -tion exhibition -sion admission

The most common noun-forming suffixes Unproductive -hood neighbourhood -dom freedom -ship partnership -ment arrangement -ance importance -ence violence -ty poverty -ity generosity -ure picture -age marriage

The most common prefixes Re- reconstruction co- co-author dis- disagreement mis- misunderstanding over- overestimation under- underground sub- subdivision inter- interaction

Compound nouns ing form + noun Frying-pan Dancing-shoes Two nouns Schoolboy Housewife Postman Two nouns connected by a proposition Mother-in-law Commander-in-chief Do not include any nouns Letdown breakdown

Classification of nouns Nouns Proper Собст- венные Common Нарица-тельные Class nouns Обозначающие отд. предмет Nouns of materials Вещест-венные Collective nouns Собиратель-ные Abstract nouns Отвле-ченные Shakespeare February Monday Boy Dog Table Tea Snow Cotton Family Team Government Beauty Youth Love

The category of gender Masculine (He – men and boys, animals when we know their sex) Feminine (She – women and girls, countries, ships, vehicles when regarded with affectation or respect, animals when we know their sex) Neutral (It – things, babies and animals when we don’t know their sex)

The category of gender A few jobs and positions have different words for men and women man woman actor actress (bride) groom bride duke duchess hero heroine host hostess manager manageress monk nun policeman policewoman prince princes steward stewardess waiter waitress widower widow

The category of gender A mayor can be a man or a woman. In Britain a mayoress is the wife of a male mayor. Some words ending in –ess (authoress, poetess, manageress) have gone out of use. Author, poet, manager are used for both men and women. Stewardess and steward are replaced by flight attendant Policewoman and policeman are replaced by police officer Some words ending in –man do not have a common feminine equivalent Chairman – chairperson Spokesman – spokesperson – spokeswoman (in modern English) Words which are not gender-marked: Foreman – supervisor Ambulance men – ambulance staff Fireman – firefighter

The category of number Singular and Plural Regular plurals By just adding –s to the singular Dog – dogs Cat-cats

The category of number 1. Plural of nouns ending in consonant+y Singular Plural …consonant + y … consonant + ies Baby babies Lady ladies Ferry ferries Party parties …vowel + y Donkey donkeys Day days Boy boys Proper names ending in consonant + y The Kennedys Februarys

The category of number 2. Plural of nouns ending in –sh, -ch, -s, -x, -z Singular plural … ch/sh/s/x/z …ches/shes/ses/xes/zes church churches crash crashes bus buses box boxes buzz buzzes

The category of number 3. Plural of nouns ending in –o The most common -es Singular Plural Hero heroes Negro negroes Potato potatoes Tomato tomatoes

The category of number New words and borrowings -s Singular plural Commando commandos Eskimo eskimos Logo logos Photo photos Kilo kilos Concerto concertos Solo solos Soprano sopranos

The category of number Irregular and special plurals 1. Irregular plurals in –ves Singular plural calf caves elf elves half halves knife knives leaf leaves life lives loaf loaves shelf shelves thief thieves wife wives wolf wolves

The category of number Dwarf, hoof, scarf can have plural in –fs or –ves But: Belief – beliefs Chief – chiefs Cliff – cliffs Handkerchief – handkerchiefs Roof – roofs Safe – safes

The category of number 2. Other irregular plurals Singular plural Child children Man men Woman women Foot feet Goose geese Louse lice Mouse mice Ox oxen Tooth teeth

The category of number Singular plural Person people Sheep sheep Deer deer Trout trout Salmon salmon Spacecraft spacecraft Aircraft aircraft Means means Species species Hovercraft hovercraft

The category of number 3. Foreign plurals Nouns with foreign plurals only

The category of number 3. Foreign plurals Nouns with foreign plurals only singular plural criterion criteria (Greek) datum data (Latin) diagnosis diagnoses (Greek) hypothesis hypotheses (Greek) kibbutz kibbutzim (Hebrew) nucleus nuclei (Latin) oasis oases (Greek) phenomenon phenomena (Greek) radius radii (Latin) stimulus stimuli (Latin)

The category of number 3. Foreign plurals Nouns with both foreign and regular plurals:

The category of number 4. Compound nouns form their plural by adding –s/es: To the second noun if the compound consists of two nouns: Schoolboy – schoolboys Housewife – housewives To the noun if the compound consists of an adjective and a noun: Frying-pan – frying-pans Dancing shoe – dancing shoes To the first noun if the compound consists of two nouns connected by a preposition or to the noun if the compound has only one noun Mother-in-law – mothers-in law Passer-by – passers-by At the end of the compound if it doesn’t include any nouns Letdown-letdowns Breakdown-breakdowns