一. 名词
1.名词的分类:名词分为专有名词和普通名词两大类。普通名词中个体名词和集体名词为可数名词,物质名词和抽象名词为不可数名词。名词有主格(作主语)、宾格(作宾语)和属格(表示所属关系);不可数名词为物质名词和抽象名词,如information, poverty, advice, anger, applause, baggage, cake, chalk, chocolate, cloth, bread, damage, equipment, fruit, furniture, gold, ink, jewellery, luggage, mail, money, news, paper, protection, soap, sugar, weapon, work, machinery, scenery, personnel 等。
2.名词的数
(1)可数名词有单复数之分。在句中,名词的单数形式前边要有冠词或表示单数的限定词,否则就要用其复数形式。
A. 名词复数形式的规则变化
通常是在单数形式后加词尾s。如
dog-dogs week-weeks girl-girls number-numbers
其它名词复数的规则变化
1)以o, s, x, ch, sh结尾的名词在词尾加es。如:
fox-foxes potato-potatoes brush-brushes mass-masses
2)一些以o结尾的名词
a. 在词尾加s。如:piano-pianos, photo-photos, bamboo-bamboos, zoo-zoos
b. 词尾加es,如:potato-potatoes, tomato-tomatoes
c. 两种方法均可,如zero-zeros / zeroes。
3)以辅音加y结尾的名词, 将y改为i再加es。如:
family-families lady-ladies fly-flies factory-factories
4)以元音加y结尾的名词,直接加s。如:
key-keys boy-boys donkey-donkeys play-plays
5)以f / fe 结尾的名词, 去掉f / fe再加ves。如:
leaf-leaves life-lives half-halves wolf-wolves
例外: roof-roofs belief-beliefs gulf-gulfs
B. 名词复数的不规则变化:
1)部分名词的不规则变化
child-children man-men woman-women foot-feet
tooth-teeth goose-geese mouse-mice ox-oxen
2)名词复数的特殊变化:
analysis-analyses, bacterium-bacteria, basis-bases, crisis-crises,
criterion-criteria, datum-data, phenomenon-phenomena, thesis-theses
3)有些名词的单复数同形:
aircraft, spacecraft, Chinese, deer, fish, Japanese, means, series, species, 单位词li,jin,yuan,mu等。但除人民币的元、角、分外,美元、英镑、法郎等都有复数形式。如:a dollar, two dollars; a meter, two meters等。
4)有些名词的单复数含义不同,如:
cloth(布)—clothes(衣服); content(内容)—contents(目录);
convenience(便利)—conveniences(便利设备) wood(木材)——woods(树林);
humanity(人类)——humanities(人文科学) work(工作)——works(工厂,著作)
necessity(需要)——necessities(必需品) pain(疼痛)——pains(辛劳);
ruin(毁灭)——ruins(废墟,遗迹) sand(沙子)——sands(沙地,沙滩);
communication(通讯)—communications(通讯系统,通讯工具);
5)英语中有些名词总是以复数形式出现。如:
scissors 剪刀, goods 货物, trousers 裤子, clothes 衣服, glasses 玻璃杯,
pants裤子, rapids 急流 ,shorts 短裤 , sweets 欢乐 , valuables 贵重物品 。
6)有些集合名词指“整体”时用作单数,指其中的“成员”时用作复数(词形不变)。如 "army , class, club, company, committee(委员会),crew, crowd, staff(员工), family, public, government, group, party, union, couple, population, team等。如: