Singular and Plural Nouns

Content

• How are plural nouns formed?
• What are collective nouns?
• Examples of singular and plural nouns

Nouns have a certain gender (feminine and masculine) and a certain number (singular and plural. A singular noun It is one that designates a single object or individual. For example: plant, ring. A plural noun It is one that designates two or more equal objects. For example: plants, rings.

A noun is a word that designates or names an animate or inanimate being, as well as concepts.

It can serve you:

• Singular nouns
• Gender and number

How are plural nouns formed?

In Spanish, there are two ways to transform a singular noun into a plural one:

• If it ends in a vowel. A letter S is added at the end. For example: bed / beds, bag / bags.
• If it ends in a consonant. An E is added before the final S. For example: song / songs, love / loves. In those cases, if the final consonant is a Z, it is replaced by a C. For example: time / times, voice / voices.

What are collective nouns?

All types of nouns have a singular and a plural form.

But the plural should not be confused with collective nouns, which are those that designate a group of elements with a word, unlike individual nouns that designate a single element.

Collective nouns can be in the singular (if they designate a single group) or in the plural (if they designate more than one group). For example: group / groups, herd / herds, crowd / crowds.

Examples of singular and plural nouns

Nouns can be:

• Abstract. Independent concepts that designate entities imperceptible to the senses but understandable through thought. For example: love (singular), loves (plural), intelligence (singular), intelligences (plural).
• Concrete. Independent concepts that are perceived through the senses. For example: person (singular), people (plural), tree (singular), trees (plural)

They can also be classified between:

• Common Generic concepts that refer to a class of individuals without specifying individual characteristics. For example: building (singular), buildings (plural), drink (singular), drinks (plural)
• Own. They designate a specific individual and are capitalized. They are usually always in the singular. For example: Paris, Juan, Pablo.