REM. Number is applicable to nouns, pronouns, and finite verbs.

§ 52. There are two numbers, singular and plural § 53. The singular denotes one object or a collection of objects; as, a house, a man, a ship; an assembly, a company, a dozen.

§ 54. The plural number denotes two or more objects not considered collectively; as, men, ships, assemblies, companies, dozens.

REM. 1. The plural number of nouns is generally formed by affixing s or es to the singular; as, thought, thoughts; sea, seas; hand, hands; box, boxes.

REM. 2. When the terminating letter of the noun will unite with the sound of s, the plural is formed by annexing s only; as, hat, hats; pen, pens. But when the terminating letter will not unite with the sound of s, it increases the number of syllables; as, voice, voices; rose, roses.

REM. 3. When nouns end with ch soft, sh, ss, or s, the plural is formed by annexing es to the singular; as, church, churches ; bush, bushes; matress, matresses; lens, lenses. But after ch hard, the plural is formed by annexing s only; as, monarch, monarchs.

REM. 4. The plural number of some nouns ending with f or fe, is formed by changing these terminations into ves; as, sheaf, shelf, thief, wharf, wolf, calf, leaf, wife, life, knife, elf, loaf, beef, half, self, changed to sheaves, shelves, etc. The plural of some others, having the same terminations, are regularly formed; as, fife, fifes; strife, strifes; chief, chiefs; gulf, gulfs; grief, griefs, etc.

REM. 5. The plural of nouns ending with ff, is formed regularly; as, ruff, ruffs; muff, muffs; puff, puffs; staff makes

FIRST COURSE.

How many numbers are there? What does the singular number denote? What, the plural ?

SECOND COURSE.

To what is number applicable? unite with the sound of s, how is not thus unite, what effect has it? ss or s, how is the plural formed? form their plural? How do nouns

When the terminating letter will the plural formed? When it does When nouns end with ch soft, sh, How do nouns that end with for fe, that end with ff form their plural ?

staves, except when compounded, and then the plural is formed regularly; as, flag-staff, flag-staffs.

REM. 6. When nouns end with y, preceded by a consonant, y is changed into i, and es is annexed; as, study, studies; beauty, beauties. But when y is preceded by a vowel, s only is annexed; as, boy, boys; day, days. (So in proper names; as, Stuart, Stuarts.)

REM. 7. When nouns end with o preceded by a consonant, the plural is formed by annexing es without increasing the syllables; as, negro, negroes; cargo, cargoes; volcano, volcaSometimes s only is annexed, when the final o is preceded by a vowel; as, punctilio, punctilios; folio, folios ; bamboo, bamboos; two, twos.

noes.

REM. 8. The following nouns form their plurals irregularly:

NOTE. Pennies denote real coins; pence, their value in computation. Dies denote stamps for coining; dice pieces used for gaming.

REM. 9. Many foreign nouns, retain their original plurals:

When a noun ends with y preceded by a consonant, how is the plural formed? When nouns end with o preceded by a consonant, how is the plural formed?

REM. 10. Many of the foregoing words occasionally form their plurals like English words; as,

NOTE Sometimes cherubim and seraphim, which are really Hebrew plurals, annex s to cherub and seraph, of which cherubim and seraphim are the plurals.

REM. 11. Some nouns do not admit of plurality; as, gold, silver, tin, pitch, pride, sloth, hemp, barley, flour, rye.

REM. 12. Some nouns are used in both numbers without a change of form; as, cattle, deer, sheep, kine, swine, horse, trout, salmon, perch, carp, bellows, gallows.

REM. 13. Hour, year, mile, foot, pound, etc., are sometimes used to express plurality, without a change of form; as six year; two mile; three pound; ten hour. Such usage, however, is very improper, and is not sanctioned by good authority.

REM. 14. The following nouns have plural terminations. Those denoting plurality may be joined with plural verbs; as, annals, archives, ashes, assets, bitters, bowels, compasses, clothes, calends, breeches, drawers, downs, dregs, embers, entrails, fetters, filings, goods, hatches, ides, lees, lungs, matins, mallows, orgies, nippers, pincers, or pinchers, pleiads, snuffers, customs, shears, scissors, shambles, tidings, tongs, thanks, vespers, vitals, victuals.

REM. 15. The term letters, denoting literature, belongs to the same class; and so manners, denoting behavior.

REM. 16. The following nouns have the plural terminations, and are mostly used in the singular; as, amends, alms, bellows, gallows, odds, means, pains, news, riches, wages, billiards, fives, scissors, measles, hysterics, physics, ethics, optics, tonics, catoptrics, dioptrics, acoustics, pneumatics, statics, statistics, spherics, tactics, eranamics, mathematics, mechanics, hydraulics, hydrostatics, analytics, politics.

REM. 17. Means is uniformly used in the singular..

REM. 18. Pains preceded by much, should be connected with a plural verb.

SECOND COURSE.

Name some of the nouns that do not admit of plurality. What nouns are used in both numbers? Give the substance of the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th remarks.

REM. 19. The names of nations and societies have the plural form; as, the Latins, the Protestants. The article is usually prefixed, except in direct addresses.

REM. 20. Ful, in composition, and ending a word, forms the plural regularly by annexing s; as, handful, handfuls ; mouthful, mouthfuls.

REM. 21. Other parts of speech, acquiring the nature of nouns, form their plural, like nouns of the same termination, regularly; as, dropping, a participle, annexes an s when it becomes a participial noun; as, fives, twos, two-thirds, threesevenths; the ups and downs; the ayes and nays; the outs and ins; the doings and sayings.

REM. 22. Proper names never admit a plural, except where two or more individuals are represented by the same name; as, the Cæsars; the Ciceroes; the Howards.

REM. 23. When two or more persons are represented by the same name, the title prefixed should be plural; as, The Misses Meachams; The Misses Howards.

REM. 24. When two or more persons are represented by different names, the title prefixed should be plural; as, The Misses Gould and Livingston. With respect to the application of titles to proper names of the plural number, practice by good authors varies, yet the obvious laws of the language, which should always be regarded unless there be good reasons for making exceptions to them, require plural titles to be applied to plural names.

Which of the preceding names are singular? Which, plu· ral? Which are used in both numbers?

SECOND COURSE.

What form have the names of nations and societies? How do compounds ending in ful, form their plurals? When other parts of speech become nouns, how are their plurals formed? Do proper names ever admit of the plural? When a number of persons are represented by the same name, what should be the title ?

GENDER.

55. Gender is the distinction of names with regard to sex.

§ 56. There are three genders; the masculine, the feminine and neuter.

§ 57. Masculine gender denotes males; as, man, father, kings.

§ 58. Feminine gender denotes females; as,woman, mother, queen.

59. Neuter gender denotes things without sex; as, a field, a house, a garden.

REM. 1. Some grammarians apply the term common gender to nouns that are equally applicable to both sexes. This, however, is a total misapplication of terms, and is unnecessary in parsing the English language. The context will determine the gender of those names that are applicable to either sex. If the gender is unknown, the term that denotes the masculine gender should be used rather than that of the feminine. REM. 2. There are three ways of distinguishing sex in the English language:

What is gender? How many genders are there? What is the masculine? What, the feminine? What, the neuter ?

SECOND COURSE.

How do some grammarians apply the term common gender? How many ways are there for distinguishing sex?