7. The grammatical category of number in the system of the English language

The category of number is expressed by the opposition of the plural form of the noun to the singular form of the noun. The strong member of this opposition is the plural. Its productive formal mark is the suffix - (e)s as presented in the forms dog – dogs, clock – clocks, box – boxes.

The other, non-productive ways of expressing the number opposition are: 1) vowel interchange in several relict forms (e.g.: woman – women, tooth – teeth, etc.); 2) the archaic suffix -(e)n in some relict forms (e.g.: ox – oxen, child – children,); 3) the correlation of individual singular and plural suffixes in a limited number of borrowed nouns (e.g.: formula – formulae, phenomenon – phenomena, etc.). In some cases the plural form of the noun is homonymous with the singular form (e.g.: sheep, deer, fish, etc.).

The absolute singular is characteristic of; 1) the names of abstract notions (e.g.: peace, love, joy, friendship, etc.); 2) the names of the branches of professional activity (e.g.: mathematics, linguistics, etc.); 3) the names of mass materials (e.g.: water, snow, hair, etc.); 4) the names of collective inanimate object (e.g.: furniture, machinery, etc.).

The absolute plural is characteristic of: 1) the uncountable nouns which denote objects consisting of two halves (e.g.: trousers, shorts, spectacles, etc.); 2) the nouns expressing some sort of collective meaning (e.g.: outskirts, clothes, politics, cattle, etc.); 3) the nouns denoting some diseases as well as some abnormal states of the body and mind (e.g.: rickets, creeps, hysterics, etc).

8. The grammatical categories of tense and aspect in English

The grammatical category of tense is expressed in the forms of English verb. This category denotes the relation of the action either to the moment of speaking or to some definite moment in the past or future.

The grammatical category of aspect shows the way in which the action develops, whether it is in progress or completed, etc.

There are three aspects. They are: common, continuous and perfect. He works hard. (Common aspect). He is working now. (Continuous aspect). He has worked for the company for 5 years. (Perfect aspect).

The category of tense and the category of aspect are intermingled.

There are four groups of tenses in English. They are: Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous.

The Indefinite tense has no aspect characteristics. The Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous forms denote both time and aspect relations.

Each of these forms includes four tenses: Present, Past, Future and Future-in-the Past.

The Indefinite form shows that the action usually takes place in the present, past or future. E.g. I study at the Borys Grinchenko University. Four years ago I entered the University. I think, on Saturday I won’t go to the University.

The Continuous form denotes an action in progress at the present moment or at a given moment in the past or future. E.g.: I’m speaking English now. On Saturday at 2 p.m. I was doing my homework. On Sunday at 10 a.m. I will be playing tennis.

The Perfect form denotes an action completed before the present moment (and connected with it) or before a definite moment in the past or future. E.g.: I have already written my essay in English. When mother came home, I had already gone to the institute. When my mother comes home, I will have gone to the institute.

The Perfect Continuous form denotes an action in progress, whose duration before a definite moment in the present, past or future is expressed. E.g.: I have been learning English for 10 years. By 2010 I had been learning English for 8 years. By 2013 I will have been learning English for 11 years.