名词复数的特殊变化。
普通名词的复数我们知道是直接加-s或 -es,
a. class, box, watch, brush等词以 s, x, ch, sh, 结尾,复数要加-es;
b. story, factory 等以"辅音字母+y"结尾的词复数要先将-y 变成-i再加-es;
c. knife, wife, life等以-f 或-fe结尾的词一般先将-f或-fe变为-v, 再加-es;
d. 以-o结尾的名词,一般来说,末尾是"元音字母+o" 的词加-s,我们学过的有radio,zoo。末尾是"辅音字母+o"的词,变复数加-es。如:tomato, hero, potato,当然其中的piano 和photo,又是一个例外,他们的结尾只能加-s。
e. child(children), foot(feet), tooth(teeth), mouse(mice), man(men ), woman(women )等词的复数变化全不遵循规则。
注意:与 man 和 woman构成的合成词,其复数形式也是 -men 和-women。如:an Englishman,two Englishmen. 但German不是合成词,故复数形式为 Germans;
f. deer,sheep等词单复数同形。 people,police,cattle 等词,以单数形式出现,但实为复数,所以它们的谓语当然也是复数形式,这就是集体名词。the English,the French,the Chinese等名词表示国民总称时,也作复数用。
注意:maths,politics,physics等学科名词,虽然以-s结尾,仍为不可数名词。还有theUnited States(美国),the United Nations(联合国)等应视为单数。
别奇怪,名词有时也可以作定语的。它作定语时一般用单数,但也有以下例外。
a. man, woman等作定语时,它的单复数以其所修饰的名词的单复数而定。如:men workers, women teachers。
b. 数词+名词作定语时,这个名词一般保留单数形式,中间加连字符。如:a ten-mile walk十里路,two-hundred trees 两百棵树。
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