2.4 Plural form and Continuous Present

This is a little review of plural in nouns, please review the rules and apply it when you practice.

HERE ARE SOME EXTRA RULES ABOUT PLURAL NOUNS

1. When the noun ends in S, SH, CH, X or Z*, we add -ES to the noun.

Singular	Plural
kiss	kisses
wish	wishes
match	matches
fox	foxes
quiz	quizzes*

• I have a box in my bedroom.
• I have three boxes in my bedroom.

* With words that end in Z sometimes we add an extra Z to the plural form of the word (such as with the plural of quiz).

2. When the noun ends in a VOWEL + Y, we add -S to the noun.

Singular	Plural
boy	boys
holiday	holidays
key	keys
guy	guys

3. When the noun ends in a CONSONANT + Y, we remove Y and add -IES to the noun.

Singular	Plural
party	parties
lady	ladies
story	stories
nanny	nannies
city	cities

4. If the noun ends in F or FE, we remove the F/FE and add -VES to the noun.

Singular	Plural
life	lives
leaf	leaves
thief	thieves
wife	wives

Some exceptions: roof - roofs, cliff - cliffs, chief - chiefs, belief - beliefs, chef - chefs

5. If the noun ends in a CONSONANT + O, we normally add -ES to the noun.

Singular	Plural
tomato	tomatoes
potato	potatoes
echo	echoes
hero	heroes

Some exceptions: piano - pianos, halo - halos, photo - photos

NOTE: Volcano has two correct forms of plural. Both volcanos and volcanoes are accepted.

6. There are a number of nouns that don't follow these rules. They are irregular and you need to learn them individually because they don't normally have an S on the end.

Singular	Plural
man	men
woman	women
child	children
foot	feet
tooth	teeth
goose	geese
mouse	mice

• There is a child in the park.
• There are many children in the park.

7. There are some nouns in English that are the same in the singular and the plural.

Singular	Plural
fish	fish
sheep	sheep
deer	deer
moose	moose
aircraft	aircraft

• I can see a sheep in the field.
• I can see ten sheep in the field.

Sometimes you will hear the word fishes (especially in songs) though it is grammatically incorrect.

Summary Chart

The following is a summary chart of basic plural noun rules:

Now I bring to you some rules and examples of the Present continuous tense, Please study it and practice with your lecture.

NOW JUST A LITTLE RECAP

Present Progressive Tense

We use the present progressive tense:

1. When somebody is doing something at this moment.

• Sarah is changing her clothes right now.
• Her boyfriend is waiting for her.
• We are learning the progressive tense in English.

2. When something is happening at this moment. When the action has started but hasn't finished.

• It is snowing at the moment.
• The economy is growing at an exponential rate.
• The children are sleeping, so please be quiet.

3. To talk about something that is happening around the time of speaking but not necessarily at that exact moment.

• Alfredo is studying a lot for his exam.
• I'm reading a great book. (not necessary right at this moment)
• We are planning a trip to Jamaica.

Present vs. Progressive Tense

A significant difference between these two tenses is we use the simple present tense for things that are permanent or are in general and the present progressive tense for things that may change or are temporary.

Compare:

Permanent	Temporary
Simon lives in Birmingham.	Simon is living with his friends for now.
James smokes.	James is smoking in the kitchen.
We walk to work.	We're walking in the park.
I speak English.	I am speaking English right now.

Verbs that we don't use in the Progressive Tense

Another difference is that there are some verbs in English that we don't use in the progressive tense. These include:

Belong - Cost - Hate - Have (possession) - Hear - Know - Like - Love - Need - Own - Remember - Seem - Smell - Understand - Want

Different Meanings

In questions the same verb can change the meaning depending on if it is in the present or the present progressive tense.

Differences in meaning of verb
Statement	Meaning
What do you do?	What is your job?
What are you doing?	What are you doing at the moment?
What do you read?	What do you like to read?
What are you reading?	What are you reading right now?