– 14. letdown – 21. volcano —
Test 5. Write the plural of the following nouns.
1. bench – 8. scarf – 15. fruit —
2. celebrity – 9. belief – 16. swine —
3. louse – 10. sheep – 17. activity —
4. bath – 11. half – 18. thief —
5. woman – 12. tomato – 19. kilo —
6. cliff – 13. means – 20. party —
7. play – 14. photo – 21. appendix —
1.2. COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Nouns can be countable (those that can be counted) or uncountable (those that can’t be counted). Uncountable nouns take a singular verb. The most common uncountable nouns are:
• Mass nouns: fluids (blood, tea, coffee, milk etc), solids (bread, butter, china, coal, food, fruit, glass, ice, iron, fish [meaning food], etc), gasses (air, oxygen, pollution, smoke, smog, etc), particles (corn, dust, flour, hair, pepper, rice, salt, sand, etc).
• Subjects of study: chemistry, economics, literature, mathematics, physics, etc.
• Languages: Chinese, English, French, etc.
• Games: billiards, chess, golf, soccer, tennis, etc.
• Diseases: flu, measles, mumps, etc.
• Natural phenomena: darkness, hail, heat, rain (but: the rains = season of continuous rain in tropical countries), humidity, thunder, snow, etc.
• Some abstract nouns: accommodation, advice, anger, applause, assistance, behaviour, business, chaos, countryside, courage, damage, dirt, education, evidence, housework, homework, information, intelligence, knowledge, luck, music, news, peace, progress, seaside, shopping, traffic, trouble, truth, wealth, work, etc.
• Collective nouns: baggage, cutlery, furniture, jewellery, luggage, machinery, money, rubbish, stationery, etc.
• Many uncountable nouns can be made countable by adding a partitive: a piece of paper/cake/advice/information/furniture; a slice/loaf of bread; a(n) item/piece of news, etc.
• Some nouns take only a plural verb. These are objects consisting of two parts: garments (pyjamas, trousers, etc), tools (scissors, etc), instruments (binoculars, compasses, spectacles, etc), or nouns such as: arms, ashes, barracks, clothes, congratulations, earnings, (good) looks, outskirts, people, police, premises, riches, stairs, surroundings, wages, etc.
• Group nouns refer to a group of people. These nouns can take either a singular or a plural verb depending on whether we see the group as a whole or as individuals. Such group nouns are: army, audience, class, club, committee, company, council, crew, crowd, headquarters, family, jury, government, press, public, staff, team, etc.
The team was the best. (the team as a group)
The team were all given medals. (each member separately as individuals)
• With expressions of duration, distance or money meaning ‘a whole amount’ we use a singular verb: Two years is long to wait. Three miles is a long way to go. Nine thousand pounds is a high price to pay.
Test 6. Fill in: is or are.
1. Your trousers _____ in the wardrobe.
2. Where______ his scissors?
3. There_____ a lecture on history today.
4. The shopping________ heavy.
5. Where_____ my gloves?
6. This information______ correct.
7. His hair_____ brown.
8. My socks_____ in the drawer.
9. Our furniture_____ very cheap.
10. His accommodation_____ luxurious.
11. Evidence_____ needed before the trial can continue.
12. The news_____ very exciting.
13. Mumps_____ a common illness among children.
14. My glasses_____ on the table.
15. Chinese_____ difficult to learn.
16. Where_____ the kitchen scales?
17. Billiards_____ a popular game.
18. His work_____ very interesting.
19. People_____ starving in some countries.
20. Education_____ the key to his success.
Test 7. Fill in: is or are.
1. Where_____ your trousers?
2. Could you tell me where_____ the scissors?
3. Tonight, there _____ athletics on TV.
4. Money_____ easy to spend and difficult to save.
5. Gloves_____ worn in cold weather.
6. This student’s knowledge_____ amazing.
7. Love_____ reason for much happiness.
8. This bread_____ stale.
9. Your jeans_____ on the chair.
10. His baggage_____ too heavy to carry.
11. Her advice _____ very interesting.
12. Mathematics_____ his favourite subject.
13. Measles_____ a common illness.
14. The glasses_____ on the table.
15. My sister’s hair_____ long.
16. Their bathroom scales_____ quite accurate.
17. Darts _____ a popular game in Britain.
18. This work_____ too hard.
19. People_____ unhappy with the new tax system.
20. The police_____ near.
Test 8. Choose the correct form of the verb.
1. Economics
