一、概念：

    在英语的名词和汉语中的名词是不一样的，英语中的名词分为可数名词和不可数名词，可数名词又分为单数形式和复数形式，名词的复数形式可分为规则变化和不规则变化以及一些特殊的形式。下面分别介绍。

二、变化规则和读音：

    1．一般在名词的词尾加“s”， 清辅音后读/s/ 浊辅音和元音后读 /z/

例如：books, pens, classrooms，map-maps，boy-boys，girl-girls，pen-pens等等。

    2．以s, x, sh, ch结尾的名词在词尾加“es”， 读 /iz/

例如：classes, boxes, brushes, dishes, watches, buses等等。

但也有例外，如：stomach—stomachs等等。

    3．以辅音字母加“y”结尾的名词应改“y”为“i”，再加“es”， 读 /z/

例如：cities, universities)，factories，baby---babies，city-cities，country-countries等等。

但以y结尾的专有名词，或元音字母+y 结尾的名词变复数时，直接加s变复数。例如：　

two Marys，the Henrys，monkey---monkeys，holiday---holidays，boys, toys　

    4．以“f”和“fe”结尾的名词应改“f”和“fe”为“ves”，例如：shelf—shelves， knife—knives，leaf---leaves，wolf---wolves，wife---wives　life---lives，thief---thieves等等

但也有例外，如：roof—roofs， cliff—cliffs（悬崖）， hoof—hoofs（马蹄）， belief—beliefs（信仰）， chief—chiefs（首领）， proof—proofs(证明)，safe—safes(保险箱)，reef—reefs(礁)等等

还有一些该类名词的复数形式有两种变化形式的，如：scarf—scarfs/scarves（头巾）, dwarf—dwarfs/dwarves（矮子）, wharf—wharfs/wharves(码头), handkerchief—handkerchiefs/handkerchieves(手帕)等等。

    5．以“o”结尾的名词的复数形式一般在词尾加“es”，例如：hero—heroes, echo—echoes(回音)，potato—potatoes，tomato--tomatoes等等。

但以字母o结尾的外来词或缩写词的复数形式是只加S，如：zoo—zoos, radio—radios, piano—pianos, photo—photos, memo—memos(备忘录), solo—solos(独唱、独奏), kilo—kilos(公斤)，kimono—kimonos（和服）等等。

三、不规则变化主要有下面几种：

    1．变元音，例如：man—men, woman—women, foot—feet, tooth—teeth, mouse—mice(老鼠), louse—lice（跳蚤）

    2．加(r)en，例如：ox—oxen, child—children

    3．单、复数同形，例如：sheep, fish, deer, carp(鲤鱼), Chinese, Japanese, aircraft(飞机), means(方法),

    4．外来词，例如：crisis--crises(危机), basis--bases(基础)，analysis—analyses(分析)，phenomenon—phenomena(现象)

四、特殊的复数形式

    1．一些不可数名词，如waters、teas等的复数形式可表种类，译：

    各种各样的……，例如：I have many teas at home.      我家有许多种茶。

    2．具体化的名词，如cloth、paper等的复数形式，可用来表示某种特

    殊用途的东西，例如：

Please pass me a (table) cloth（桌布、台布） so that I can clean the table.

I can see many sweet papers（糖果纸） on the ground after the party.

    3．一些抽象名词，如thanks; wishes; congratulations; regards；greetings和cheers等用在英语句子里面时必须固定地使用复数形式，例如：

Best wishes to you!

Please give my best regards/greetings to your parents.

    4．一些数字，如1920’s或1920s的，表示20世纪20年代，例如：

In the 1920s, he went to a European country.

He was born in the 1960’s.

    5．整十的数字的复数形式，如thirties, eighties可表示“几十岁”，例如：

He joined the Party in his thirties.  他三十几岁时入党。

    6．英文字母，如b’s、f’s、s’(后面的“s”可以被省略)，的复数形式，例如：

In the word “differ”, there are two f’s.

We must pay much attention to the s’ at the end of the words.

    7．人名，如Mary、John等可以表示“几个……的人”，例如：

There are two Johns in our class, but in the whole school, there are six.

    8．姓氏，如Black, Green等可以表示一家人或者夫妻，例如：

After dinner, the Blacks are usually watching TV at home.

五、复合名词的复数形式，一般可以分为以下几种：

   1．一般在最后一个名词的词尾加-s或-es，例如：film-goers(常看电影的人)、tooth-brushes（牙刷）、greenhouses（温室、暖房）、go-betweens（中间人）、grown-ups（成年人）

   2．在主体名词末加-s，例如：lookers-on（旁观者）、passers-by（过路人）、sons-in-law（女婿）、daughters-in-law（媳妇）、gentlemen-at-arms（侍卫官）、ladies-in-waiting（侍女、宫女）

   3．两个成分都加变复数，一般是与man构成的复合词，例如：men-doctors（男医生）、women workers（女工人），但German不是合成词，故复数形式为Germans；Bowman是姓，其复数是the Bowmans。

  但英、美国家的人不用lady来搭配复数，因为它带有轻视的语气。而含boy或girl的复合名词中，boy和girl都不用复数，例如：boy-students（男学生）、girl nurses（女护士）、boy friends（男朋友）、girl monitors女班长

六、特殊形式

    1．集体名词，以单数形式出现，但实为复数。

例如：people　police　cattle 等本身就是复数，不能说 a people，a police，a cattle，但可以说a person，a policeman，a head of cattle.

    2．以s结尾，仍为单数的名词，如：

　　a. maths，politics，physics等学科名词，一般是不可数名词，为单数。

　　b. news 为不可数名词。

　　c. the United States，the United Nations 应视为单数。

　　The United Nations was organized in 1945. 联合国是1945年组建起来的。

　　d. 以复数形式出现的书名，剧名，报纸，杂志名，也可视为单数。例如：

　　"The Arabian Nights" is a very interesting story-book. 《一千零一夜》是一本非常有趣的故事书。

    3．另外还有一些名词，其复数形式有时可表示特别意思，如：goods货物，waters水域，fishes（各种）鱼。　

 

七、习题：

1.He was eager to make some extra money, since during these years he could hardly live on his_______.    

a．    little wage     b. few wage     c. wage     d. wages

2.Most of the houses in the village were burnt to ______ during the war.

a.        an ash    b. the ash     c. ash     d. ashes

3.The students at colleges or universities are making ______ for the coming New Year.

a.        many preparations     b. much preparation     c. preparations     d. preparation

4.Painting in _____ is one of their spare-time activities.

a.        oil     b. an oil     c. oils     d. the oil

5.In the view of the foreign experts, there wasn’t ____ oil here.

a.        much     b. lots of     c. a great deal of     d. many

6.The large houses are being painted, but ______.

a.   of great expense       b. at a great expense   c. in a lot of expenses d. by high expense

7.The room was small and contained far too ______.

a.much new furniture     c. much new furnitures

b.many new furniture     d. many new furnitures

8.Jim was late for two classes this morning. He said that he forgot both of the ______.

a. rooms number     b. room number    c. room’s numbers     d. room numbers

9.Computers can do ______ work in a short time, but a man can not do ______ by himself.

   a great many…many        c. much…a great deal

   b. a great deal of…much     d. many…a great many

10.She didn’t know _____ he had been given.

a.        how many information      c. how many informations

b.       the number of information   d. how much information

11.He invited all of his ______ to join his wedding party.

a.        comrade-in-arms             c. comrades-in-arm

b.       comrades-in-arms             d. comrade-in-arm

12.All the ______ in the hospital got a rise last month.

a.        women doctors                c. woman doctors

b.       women doctor                 d. woman doctor

13.After ten years, all these youngsters became_____.

a.        growns-ups                      c. growns-up

b.       grown-up                        d. grown-ups

14.The police investigated those _____ about the accident.

a.         stander-by                  c. standers-by

b.         stander-bys                 d. standers-bys

15.The Nazi kept those ______ in their concentration camp.

a.prisoner-of-wars                c. prisoners-of-war

b.prisoners-of-wars                d. prisoner-of-war

16.The manager was greatly appreciate that _____ made by Linda lately.

a.       new reel     b. news reel     c. new-reels     d. news reels

17.Mary’s dress is similar in appearance to her ______.

   a. elder sister     b. elder sister’s     c. elder sisters     d. elder sisters dress

18.All the people at the conference are ______.

    a. mathematic teachers    c. mathematics teacher

b.mathematics teachers   d. mathematic’s teachers

19.Professor Mackay told us that ______ of lead are its softness and its resistance.

a.         some property          c. properties

b.         some properties         d. property

20.Physics _____ with matter and motion.

a.         deal     b. deals     c. dealing     d. are

21.He has written several books, but his last works _____ well known among his friends.

a.         have     b. have been     c. is     d. are

22.After he checked up my ______ heart, the doctor advised him to rest for a few days.

a.         father-in-law’s      c. father’s-in-law

b.         father-in-law        d. father’s-in-law’s

23.He told me _____ would come to his birthday party.

a.         many Jack friends      c. many Jack’s friend

b.         Jack’s many friends     d. many friends of Jack’s

24.I had my hair cut at the _____ around the corner.

a.barber     b. barbers     c. barber’s     d. barbers’

25.Yesterday evening we had a lovely evening at ______.

a.         Peter and Helen’s         c. Peter and Helen

b.         Peter and Helens          d. Peter’s and Helen’s

26.______ receives only a small portion of the total amount of the sun’s energy.

a.         The earth’s surface          c. The surface of earth

b.         The surface earth            d. The earth surface

27.Numerous materials are available to ______.

a.         today of designers             c. today’s of designers

b.         today’s designers              d. today designers

28.Why did you speak to Peter that way? Don’t you know he is an old friend of ______?

a.         my brother     b. my brothers     c. my brother’s      d. my brother’s friend

29.______ is a well-informed man. He can tell you anything you want to know.

a.         This John’s old friend           c. That’s Jahn’s old friend

b.         This old friend of John           d. This old friend of John’s

30.______ is too much for a little boy to carry.

a.A bike’s weight          c. The weight of a bike

b.The weights of a bike     d. Bile’s weight

31.Generally there are ______ television programs for children on Saturday.

a.         little     b. much     c. a large number of     d. a large amount of

32.When they got to the lecture-room, there were ______ left.

a.         only few seats     b. a very few seats     c. only a few seats   d. so a few seats

33.______ travels faster when the zip code is indicated on the envelope.

a.         A little mail     b. A piece of mail     c. A mail     d. A small mail

34.The Department purchased ______ to improve the working conditions there.

a.         a new equipment       c. new equipments

b.         a new piece of equipment     d. new pieces of equipments

35.The boy tried hard but there has been ______ in his work.

a.         little improvement     c. many improvements

b.         a little improvement    d. few improvements

36.Today’s modern TV cameras require ______ light as compared with the earlier models.

a.         only a few     b. only few     c. only a little     d. only little

37.No country can afford to neglect ______.

a.         an education     b. educations     c. education     d. the education

38.Please write the answers to the questions at the end of ______.

a.         eighth chapter     b. chapter eight     c. eight chapter     d. chapter the eight

39.______ is only surpassed by that of monkeys’ and apes’.

a.         The intelligent dog            c. The intelligence of dogs

b.         The dogs whose intelligence    d. The dogs being intelligent

40.All ______ must take the graduate Management Admission Test.

a.         business student    b. business’s students    c. business students    d. business’s student

41.______ anywhere in the United States costs less than a dollar when you dial it yourself.

a.         Three minutes call     c. A three-minutes call

b.         Three-minute call      d. A three-minute call

42.The ______ about nuclear energy revolves around the waste problem.

a.         public’s chief concern     c. chief public concern

b.         public chief concern       d. chief concern of public’s

43.______ the first and largest ethnic group to work on the construction of the transcontinental railroad.

a.   Chinese were     b. The Chinese was     c. Chinese was     d. The Chinese were

44.______ can get a better view of the game than the participants.

a.         Looker-on     b. Lookers-on     c. Looker-ons     c. Lookers-ons

45.A group of spectators was dispersed by the police who ______ at the scene of the accidents within minutes.

a.         were     b. have been     c. was     d. has been

46.Our livestock ______ not as numerous as they used to be.

a.         is     b. are     c. be     d. been

47.One of the most surprising things is that ______ may come from petroleum.

a.         much of tomorrow food         c. many of tomorrow’s food

b.         much of the food of tomorrow    d. much of tomorrow’s food

48.Scott is an orphan but he received ______.

a.         very good education               c. a very good education

b.         very good educations              d. many good educations

49.After several day’s hardworking, we have made ______ on the design.

a.         much improvement                  c. many improvement

b.         several improvements                d. some improvement

50.The boy was very happy that his mother bought him a new pair of shoes at a ______ yesterday.

a.         shoes shop     b. shoe shop     c. shoes’s shop     d. shoe’s

51.Eggs, though nourishing, have ______ of fat content.

a.         large number     b. a large number     c. a high amount     d. the high amount

52.He has done some ______ on that subject from various angles over the past ten years.

a.         research     b. a research     c. researches     d. the researches

53.Recently, he has lost all his ______.

a.         wage and saving at card         c. wages and saving at card

b.         wages and savings at card        d. wages and savings at cards

54.The country’s wealth comes chiefly from its many ______.

a.         herd of cattle     b. heard of cattles     c. herds of cattle     d. herds of cattles

55.In Britain the ______ are all painted red.

a.         letter boxes     b. letters box     c. letters boxes     d. letters’s box

56.Ten years had passed. I found she had ______.

a.         a little white hair          c. a few white hair

b.         some white hair           d. much white hair

57.All his ______ far from satisfaction

a.         conduct is     b. conduct are     c. conducts is     d. conducts will be

58.Although the town had been attacked by the storm several times, ______ was done.

a.         a few damages     b. few damages     c. little damage     d. a little damage

59.He was ______ what to do.

a.         at his wit end     b. at his wits end     c. at his wit’s end     d. at his wits’s end

60.Would you like to have a cup of tea and ______ with me?

a two toasts     b. two pieces of toast    c. two piece of toasts     d. tow pieces of toasts

61.Accurate ______ covering the fact are not obtainable.

a.         datum     b. datums     c. data      d. datas

62.On Monday morning some teachers exchanged a few ______.

a.         how-are-yous               c. how-are-you’s

b.         of how-are-you’s            d. of how are you

63.Albert said he met the girl ______

a.         at his uncle’s Smith room        c. at his uncle Smith’s room

b.         at Smith’s his uncle’s room       d. at the room of his uncle’s Smith’s

64.It is four months since I last saw Keats ______.

a.         at Mrt Smith’s ,the book seller       c. at my aunt’s, a book seller

b.         at my aunt’s, Mrs Palmer’s          d. at Mrs Palmer’s, the book seller’s

65.This room is ______.

a.         the editor’s-in-chief’s office            c. the editor-in-chief’s office

b.         the editor-in-chief office               d. the editor’s-in-chief office

66.My old classmate, Comrade Sun ,works at ______.

a.         a teacher college           c. a teacher’s college

b.         a teachers’s college         d. a college of a teacher’s

67.The policemen put the criminal ______.

a.         in a iron     b. into a iron     c. in irons     d. into a pair of iron

68.Our teacher gave me ______.

a.         an advice     b. the advice     c. many advice     d. much advice

69.My mother cut the cloth with ______ scissors.

a.         a      b. two     c. a couple of     d. a pair of

70.My house is within ______ from the railway station.

   a. a stone’s throw     b. a throw of a stone     c. stone’s throw     d. the stone’s throw

 

 

 

 

the keys:

1．D  2．D  3．C  4．C  5．A  6．C  7．A  8．D  9．C  10．D  11．C  12．A 

13．D  14．B  15．B  16．B  17．B  18．C  19．C  20．B  21．C  22．A  23．D
24．C  25．A  26．A  27．C  28．C  29．D  30．B  31．C  32．C  33．B  34．C

35．A  36．C  37．C  38．B  39．B  40．C  41．D  42．A  43．D  44．B  45．A
46．B  47．D  48．B  49．C  50．B  51．C  52．A  53．D  54．C  55．A  56．D
57．A  58．C  59．D  60．B  61．C  62．B 63．B  64．D  65．B  66．C  67．C
68．D  69．D  70．A