1/2: Number

A. Read the following two passages and notice the forms of the underlined nouns:

• (i) Mr. Aslam is a teacher. His wife is a banker. They have only one child. Theirs is a small family. They live a happy life.

• (ii) Mr. and Mrs. Hasan are teachers. They have two children. Both of them are students. All the four members of this family are fond of books.

Understanding Singular vs. Plural

In the first passage, each of the underlined nouns denotes only one person or thing. On the other hand, each underlined noun in the second passage denotes more than one person or thing.

This concept is related to number:

• Singular Form: A noun that denotes one person or thing is said to have a singular form.

  • Examples from the first passage: teacher, banker, child, family, and life.

• Plural Form: A noun that denotes more than one person or thing is said to have a plural form.

  • Examples from the second passage: teachers, children, students, members, and books.

Definition

Number is a grammatical distinction which tells whether a noun (also a pronoun, verb, or determiner) is singular or plural. There are two numbers in English — the Singular and the Plural.