Free English Grammar - Mary Ansell 2000
Chapter 15. Plural countable nouns
1. The absence of a determiner before plural countable nouns
The absence of a determiner before plural countable nouns generally has the same significance as the presence of a or an before singular countable nouns.
a. Making a general statement
When used in general statements, plural countable nouns are usually not preceded by determiners. The plural countable nouns in the following general statements are underlined.
e.g. Musicians must practise a great deal.
Newspapers can contain valuable information.
Larches are conifers.
A general idea can often be expressed either by means of a singular countable noun preceded by a or an, or by means of a plural countable noun not preceded by a determiner. For instance, in each of the following pairs of sentences, both sentences in the pair have the same meaning.
Musicians must practise a great deal.
A musician must practise a great deal.
Newspapers can contain valuable information.
A newspaper can contain valuable information.
Larches are conifers.
A larch is a conifer.
See Exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4.
b. Referring to something not mentioned before
Plural countable nouns are generally not preceded by a determiner when referring to something not mentioned before.
e.g. Branches blocked our path.
Clouds were gathering overhead.
Suddenly we saw buildings in front of us.
In these examples, the plural nouns branches, clouds and buildings are not preceded by determiners. It is assumed that the branches, clouds and buildings have not been referred to previously.
c. Naming a profession
When a sentence such as the following is used to name a profession practised by two or more people, the name of the profession is in the plural and is not preceded by a determiner.
e.g. They are doctors.
My friends are electricians.
We were chefs.
2. The use of The before plural countable nouns
a. Referring to something mentioned before
In general, the has the same meaning when used with plural countable nouns as when used with singular countable nouns. For instance, the is used with plural countable nouns when referring to something which has been mentioned before.
e.g. Fallen leaves covered the ground. The leaves rustled as we walked.
In the orchard were apples and pears. The apples were nearly ripe.
The doors opened, and students and teachers began leaving the building. The students were talking and laughing.
In these examples, the first time the words leaves, apples and students appear, they are not preceded by determiners, because the things referred to have not been mentioned previously. The second time the words leaves, apples and students appear, they are preceded by the, since the things referred to have already been mentioned.
See Exercise 5.
b. Referring to something when it is considered obvious what is meant
The is used with plural countable nouns when the speaker or writer considers it obvious which particular persons or things are meant.
e.g. The stars are shining brightly.
The roses are blooming.
We have put the children to bed.
I was sitting on the front steps.
These sentences give examples of the use of the to refer to things which are particularly important to the speaker or writer. The expression the stars usually refers to the stars which can be seen from the part of the earth where one lives. The expression the roses might refer to roses in ones own garden, or to roses in which one feels a particular interest. The children might refer to ones own children or to children for whom one is responsible. The front steps might refer to the front steps of ones own house.
c. Names of nationalities
The is sometimes used with the name of a nationality in order to make a general statement about the people of that nationality. A plural verb must be used in such a statement.
When the name of a nationality ends in the sound of ch, s, sh or z, the name of the nationality must usually be preceded by the.
When the name of a nationality does not end in the sound of ch, s, sh or z, the letter s must be added to the end of the name when it is used in a general statement. Names of nationalities to which s has been added are often used without being preceded by the.
d. Adjectives referring to classes of people
Adjectives such as rich and poor can be used with the in order to refer to a group of people as a class. A plural verb must be used.
e.g. The blind attend special schools.
The poor do not own their own homes.
The rich often married for money.
In the above examples, the blind has the meaning of blind people, the poor has the meaning of poor people, and the rich has the meaning of rich people.
The following table summarizes the most important uses of the determiners a, an, and the with singular and plural countable nouns.
The absence of a determiner and the use of A, An and The before countable nouns
See Exercise 6.
3. The use of The with proper nouns
a. Names of people
In English, names of people in the singular are not usually preceded by a determiner.
e.g. Washington was the first president of the United States.
Jack and Eleanor saw the movie.
Determiners are also usually not used when a title precedes a persons name. Doctor Defoe has a good reputation.
Mr. Carpenter is a friend of ours.
In these examples, the titles Doctor and Mr. are not preceded by determiners.
However, names of people in the plural are usually preceded by the. e.g. The Smiths live in that house.
I have known the Harrisons for years.
b. Names of places
In English, the is usually used before the following types of place name:
Type of Place Name
canal
desert
ocean
river
sea
plural place names
place names containing the word of
The following are examples of names of canals, deserts, oceans, rivers, and seas: e.g. the Panama Canal
the Mojave Desert
the Atlantic Ocean
the St. Lawrence River
the Beaufort Sea
The following are examples of plural place names:
e.g. the United States
the British Isles
the Great Lakes
the Rocky Mountains
The following are examples of place names containing the word of:
e.g. the Gulf of Mexico
the Cape of Good Hope
the Bay of Biscay
the Isle of Wight
Other types of place name are usually not preceded by determiners. For instance, determiners are usually not used before the following types of place name:
Type of Place Name
lake
island
mountain
park
city
street
country
state
province
county
Example
Lake Superior
Manhattan Island
Mount Rainier
Yosemite National Park
Boston
Main Street
Canada
Kansas
Nova Scotia
Halifax County
See Exercise 7.
4. Nouns used only in the plural
Some English nouns are usually used only in the plural. Such nouns take a plural verb, and generally have a plural form. For instance, the following nouns, which all refer to objects with two parts, are usually used only in the plural:
e.g. jeans
pajamas
pliers
scissors
If it is desired to refer to such objects individually, the expression pair of is often used.
e.g. a pair of jeans
a pair of pajamas
a pair of pliers
a pair of scissors
When the expression pair of is used as the subject of the verb, the verb must agree with the word pair.
e.g. Jeans are fashionable.
A pair of jeans is expensive.
Pliers are very useful.
A pair of pliers is often useful.
In the above examples, the nouns jeans and pliers take the plural verb are, and the noun pair takes the singular verb is.
Exercises for Chapter 15
1. Rewrite the following general statements using singular nouns. Make sure that the verbs agree with their subjects. For example:
Engineers must be familiar with computers.
An engineer must be familiar with computers.
Trees produce oxygen.
A tree produces oxygen.
1. Automobiles should be kept in good repair.
2. Bats locate insects by means of sonar.
3. Diplomats should, if possible, be multilingual.
4. Hats are useful in cold weather.
5. Physicists must study a great deal.
6. Elephants can be dangerous.
Answers
2. Rewrite the following general statements using plural nouns. Make sure that the verbs agree with their subjects. For example:
A bicycle is a convenient means of transportation.
Bicycles are a convenient means of transportation.
A secretary should be proficient in spelling and grammar.
Secretaries should be proficient in spelling and grammar.
1. A sportsman needs to remain calm under pressure.
2. An eagle has good eyesight.
3. A conference requires careful planning.
4. A rock is composed of minerals.
5. A potato is rich in starch.
6. An omelette is made of eggs and other ingredients.
Answers
3. Rewrite the following general statements using singular nouns. Make sure that the verbs agree with their subjects. For example:
Frogs are amphibians.
A frog is an amphibian.
Wrenches are tools.
A wrench is a tool.
1. Pines are evergreens.
2. Otters are mammals.
3. Computers are machines.
4. Crabs are crustaceans.
5. Crickets are insects.
6. Oaks are hardwoods.
Answers
4. Rewrite the following general statements using plural nouns. Make sure that the verbs agree with their subjects. For example:
A robin is a bird.
Robins are birds.
A refrigerator is an appliance.
Refrigerators are appliances.
1. A schooner is a ship.
2. A mallard is a duck.
3. A rhododendron is a bush.
4. A beech is a tree.
5. A kangaroo is a marsupial.
6. An emerald is a gem.
Answers
5. Paying attention to whether the people and things referred to have been mentioned previously, fill in each blank with a, an or the, or leave the blank empty if no determiner is required.
I once had the chance to see ... Chinese opera. It was very exciting. As well as ... singers, there were ... dancers and ... acrobats. ... acrobats staged ... fights. During ... fights, some of ... acrobats wielded ... swords, and others leaped over ... swords. Many of ... dancers carried scarves. ... dancers ... flourished ... scarves to make ... patterns in the air.
Behind ... screen was a group of ... musicians. ... musicians played various oriental instruments. ... instruments included ... drums, ... cymbals, ... flutes and ... gong. ... flutes usually played the melody, and ... gong was sounded at particularly exciting moments.
Of course there were ... hero and ... heroine. ... hero had to rescue ... heroine from ... magician. ... hero and ... heroine had both proved their courage by the end of ... opera.
Answers
6. Fill in each blank with the or leave it empty, as appropriate. Be prepared to justify your choices. For example:
Those participants are ... lawyers.
Those participants are lawyers.
... eagles are birds of prey.
Eagles are birds of prey.
... deaf have their own language.
The deaf have their own language.
... Dutch are members of the European Union.
The Dutch are members of the European Union.
... planets circle the sun.
The planets circle the sun.
1. ... English have a reputation for being animal lovers.
2. ... wounded were treated immediately.
3. His friends are ... scientists.
4. ... crows are black.
5. ... stars are covered by clouds.
6. ... French make excellent pastries.
7. Two of the women are ... reporters.
8. ... turtles are reptiles.
9. ... wealthy generally have a good knowledge of finance.
10. ... Americans like to watch television.
11. They are ... businessmen.
Answers
7. Paying attention to the rules for the use of the with proper nouns, fill in the blanks with the or leave them empty, as appropriate. For example:
... Rick is one of ... Smiths who live on our street.
Rick is one of the Smiths who live on our street.
... Channel Islands lie south of ... England.
The Channel Islands lie south of England.
... Rhine River flows through____ ... Lake Constance.
The Rhine River flows through Lake Constance.
... Isle of Man lies in ... Irish Sea.
The Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea.
Part of ... New York City is situated on ... Long Island.
Part of New York City is situated on Long Island.
1. ... Hawaiian Islands are in the middle of ... Pacific Ocean.
2. ... Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah.
3. ... London lies on ... Thames River.
4. ... Suez Canal connects ... Mediterranean Sea with Red Sea.
5. ... Lake Huron and ... Lake Erie are two of ... Great Lakes.
6. ... Calcutta lies north of ... Bay of Bengal.
7. ... North Sea separates British Isles from ... Norway and ... Denmark.
8. ... Bay of Biscay lies to the west of ... France.
9. ... Orkney Islands are in the north of ... Scotland.
10. ... Anticosti Island lies in ... Gulf of St. Lawrence.
11. Part of ... Sahara Desert lies in ... Algeria.
12. ... Gerry, one of ... Johnsons, lives on ... Belleview Street.
13. ... Mount Kilimanjaro is souths east of ... Lake Victoria.
14. ... Vancouver Island lies off the west coast of ... Canada.
15. ... Serengeti National Park lies in ... Tanzania.
Answers
8. Paying attention to whether a singular or plural verb should be used, complete each of the following sentences by filling in the blank with is or are. For example:
My scissors ... very sharp.
My scissors are very sharp.
One pair of scissors ... not enough for the whole class.
One pair of scissors is not enough for the whole class.
Five pairs of scissors ... sufficient for a small class.
Five pairs of scissors are sufficient for a small class.
1. Her jeans ... white.
2. Only one pair of jeans ... clean.
3. Three pairs of jeans ... being washed.
4. A good pair of pliers ... handy for repairing a bicycle.
5. His pliers ... equipped with a sharp edge for cutting wire.
6. Several pairs of pliers_ ... on sale.
Answers
Answers to the exercises for Chapter 15
Answers to Exercise 1:
1. An automobile should be kept 2. A bat locates 3. A diplomat should be 4. A hat is 5. A physicist must study 6. An elephant can be
Answers to Exercise 2:
1. Sportsmen need 2. Eagles have 3. Conferences require 4. Rocks are composed 5. Potatoes are 6. Omelettes are made
Answers to Exercise 3:
1. A pine is an evergreen. 2. An otter is a mammal. 3. A computer is a machine. 4. A crab is a crustacean. 5. A cricket is an insect. 6. An oak is a hardwood.
Answers to Exercise 4:
1. Schooners are ships. 2. Mallards are ducks. 3. Rhododendrons are bushes. 4. Beeches are trees. 5. Kangaroos are marsupials. 6. Emeralds are gems.
Answers to Exercise 5:
a Chinese opera. ... singers, ... dancers, ... acrobats. The acrobats, ... fights. the fights, the acrobats, ... swords, the swords, the dancers, ... scarves. The dancers, the scarves, ... patterns. a screen, ... musicians. The musicians. The instruments, ... drums, cymbals, ... flutes, a gong. The flutes, the gong. a hero, a heroine. The hero, the heroine, a magician. The hero, the heroine the opera.
Answers to Exercise 6:
1. The [nationality ending in sh] 2. The [considered as a class] 3. ... [a profession] 4. ... [general statement] 5. The [obvious what is meant] 6. The [nationality ending in ch] 7. ... [profession] 8. ... [general statement] 9. The [considered as a class] 10. ... [nationality not ending in ch, se or sh] 11. ... [profession]
Answers to Exercise 7:
1. The Hawaiian Islands, the Pacific Ocean 2. ... Salt Lake City, ... Utah 3. ... London, the Thames River 4. The Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea 5. ... Lake Huron. ... Lake Erie, the Great Lakes 6. ... Calcutta, the Bay of Bengal 7. The North Sea, the British Isles, ... Norway, ... Denmark 8. The Bay of Biscay, ... France 9. The Orkney Islands, ... Scotland 10. ... Anticosti Island the Gulf of St. Lawrence 11. the Sahara Desert, ... Algeria 12. ... Gerry, the Johnsons, ... Belleview Street 13. ... Mount Kilimanjaro, ... Lake Victoria 14. ... Vancouver Island, ... Canada 15. ... Serengeti National Park, ... Tanzania
Answers to Exercise 8:
1. are 2. is 3. are 4. is 5. are 6. are