Plural: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
imported>Robert Thorpe mNo edit summary |
imported>Robert Thorpe mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
A '''plural''' [[noun]] is one which by addition of an ending (in [[English]], [[French]], [[Spanish]] and [[Portuguese]] usually ''s'') evokes more than one referent. In most languages it is directly opposed to the grammatical category of '[[singular]]' (for 'one') but some languages have a third category, '[[dual]]' (for 'two') and others have even more, in which cases, 'plural' is used for any larger number than those. | A '''plural''' [[noun]] is one which by addition of an ending (in [[English]], [[French]], [[Spanish]] and [[Portuguese]] usually ''s'') evokes more than one referent. In most languages it is directly opposed to the grammatical category of '[[singular]]' (for 'one') but some languages have a third category, '[[dual]]' (for 'two') and others have even more, in which cases, 'plural' is used for any larger number than those. | ||
In most languages the plural of nouns is clearly marked; but in others, such as [[Japanese]], it is unmarked, and nearby expressions of quantity | In most languages the plural of nouns is clearly marked; but in others, such as [[Japanese]], it is unmarked, and nearby expressions of quantity do the work. In English some plurals have no markers; for example "sheep" is both singular and plural. | ||
Verbs have different forms according to several criteria, [[number]] being merely one of them. | Verbs have different forms according to several criteria, [[number]] being merely one of them. | ||
Revision as of 08:56, 14 October 2007
A plural noun is one which by addition of an ending (in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese usually s) evokes more than one referent. In most languages it is directly opposed to the grammatical category of 'singular' (for 'one') but some languages have a third category, 'dual' (for 'two') and others have even more, in which cases, 'plural' is used for any larger number than those.
In most languages the plural of nouns is clearly marked; but in others, such as Japanese, it is unmarked, and nearby expressions of quantity do the work. In English some plurals have no markers; for example "sheep" is both singular and plural.
Verbs have different forms according to several criteria, number being merely one of them.