Сategory of number of nouns

c) Names indicating number such as dozen, pair, couple, and score (двадцать), when they are preceded by a numeral: two pairof gloves; five scoreof eggs; three dozen of shirts.

But the plural is also used:

Hehad… two pairs of stockings in his bundle. [10]

Note.– After many and few both formsare found: so many pairof wings, a great many pairsof gloves; a few score(s)of heads.

d) W

e have survivals of the old uninflected plural in kind, sort, and manner. The usual construction is now to keep kind, sort, and manner unchanged, but to use the plural these (those) if the word following of is plural (these kindof tools). But this construction is by many considered grammatically incorrect and therefore in careful literary speech books of that kindare preferred to the colloquial those kindof books:

These kindsof pens. Such kind of duties. Those sort of speeches.

e) The noun foot (measure of length) is feet in the plural. The plural foot is used when followed by a number indicating inches:

…I'm five footeleven in my socks. [2] And was she tall enough? Only five foot five. [21]

f) The noun pound (indicating money) has usually the s-plural except when followed by a numeral indicating shillings: two pounds, but: two poundten.

g) The nouns species and series borrowed from the Latin have also one form for both singular and plural:

A seriesof very, interesting experiments has been made in our laboratory. Two admirable seriesof the masters of Russian literature have been published recently. What a pretty species of roses! Many beautiful speciesof roses are cultivated in our garden.

6. Foreign Plurals. – Some nouns keep the plural form of the language (Latin, French or Greek) from which they have been borrowed:

Memorandum [am] – memoranda [э]; datum [am] – data [3]; phenomenon [an] – phenomena [aj; crisis [iz] – crises [i:zj; nucleus [ias] – nuclei [iai]; terminus [as] – termini [ai]; stimulus [as] – stimuli [at]; formula [a] – formulae [i:J; index – indices [i:z].

Words that are much used often have an English plural: memorandums, formulas, indexes, terminuses.

In all countries thebroadest strataof the population have been mobilized in support of this great cause – the preservation of peace.

Then the pied wind-flowers and the tulip tall, and narcissi,the fairest among them all…[22]… the rest of the house had grown, emerging here and there into small oasesof modernity. [21] Shelgrim wrote a few memorandaon his calendar pad, and signed a couple of letters before turning to Presley. [14]

Traditionally, the plural is formed by the inflexion – (e) s, the singular form of the nouns is a bare stem with a zero-inflexion. According this there are several ways of the pronunciation of the inflexion – (e) s at the end of the word, also there are several peculiarities in spelling. Some nouns are survivals of Old English plural forms; they form the plural. In many instances where the form in – s is used it may be understood either as the plural form of the common case or as the plural possessive. Some nouns have one form for both singular and plural. Some nouns are partly survivals of the Old English and Latin uninflected plurals, partly forms which came to be used by the analogy of the old unchanged plurals. Some nouns keep the plural form of the language (Latin, French or Greek) from which they have been borrowed.

1.4 Nouns Used in Both Numbers Singular and Plural

It is quite evident that only those nouns have both numbers (singular and plural) which denote things that can be counted, that is, things possessing a certain shape or having precise limits. Such nouns may be called countable or thing-nouns. To the group of nouns which have both numbers belong:

a) Concrete nouns: a girl – two girls; a book – two books; a flower – two flowers.

He took the loafback to the scullery. [15] Brown, crisp loavesstood on the hearth. [15] Flowers fell on her face, and she shut her eyes… One flower had remained tangled in her hair. [15]

b) Abstract nouns: a day – two days; an event – two events; a task – twotasks.

Captain Cuttle liked this idea very much. [10] A new generation is growing up in our midst, a generation actuated by new ideasand new principles. [11] It was a momentary thought…[10] Andrew went back to Christine that evening with his thoughtsin a maze. [23] I tried to shout but my voicewas not very loud. [13] Voicesand footstepswere heard in the passage… [19]

Nouns which have both numbers (countable) may be used with the indefinite article (in the singular) and associated with the pronouns some (in the singular or plural), many and few (in the plural):

A ringat the bell, repeated several times, roused him at last to go to the door. [21] What a nightto wander out in! [21] Towards the evening of the following day…a letterarrived addressed to herself. [19] A, few early fallen oak-leaves strewed the terrace… [21] He had manyinvitations to dinner some of which he accepted. [7] Passing through a sort of porch made by two yew trees and someflowering-current bushes,the girl disappeared into the house. [21]

1.5 Pluralia Tantum and Singularia Tantum

The most general quantitative characteristics of individual words constitute the lexico-grammatical base for dividing the nounal vocabulary as a whole into countable nouns and uncountable nouns. The constant categorial feature «quantitative structure» is directly connected with the variable feature «number», since uncountable nouns are treated grammatically as either singular or plural. Namely, the singular uncountable nouns are modified by the non-discrete quantifiers much or little, and they take the finite verb in the singular, while the plural uncountable nouns take the finite verb in the plural.

The two subclasses of uncountable nouns are usually referred to, respectively, as singularia tantum (only singular) and pluralia tantum (only plural). [27] The nouns which have only a plural and no singular are usually termed «pluralia tantum» (which is the Latin for «plural only»), and those which have only a singular and no plural are termed «singularia tantum» (the Latin for «singular only'') [26] In terms of oppositions we may say that in the formation of the two subclasses of uncountable nouns the number opposition is «constantly» (lexically) reduced either to the weak member (singularia tantum) or to the strong member (pluralia tantum).

Since the grammatical form of the uncountable nouns of the singularia tantum subclass is not excluded from the category of number, it stands to reason to speak of it as the «absolute» singular, as different from the «correlative» or «common» singular of the countable nouns. The absolute singular excludes the use of the modifying numeral one, as well as the indefinite article. [27]

The most general quantitative characteristics of individual words constitute the lexico-grammatical base for dividing the nounal vocabulary as a whole into countable nouns and uncountable nouns. The nouns which have only a plural and no singular are usually termed «pluralia tantum», and those which have only a singular and no plural are termed «singularia tantum».

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