Exercises

1. Give the plural of the following nouns:

a) toe, city, hero, piano, calf, cliff, proof, chief, stitch, bath, belief, life, shelf, berry, valley, roof, pen, window, wall, week, clock, ship, library, watch, dress, country, glass, day, party, play, bus, leaf, life, colony, fox, half, mass, eye, language, place, key, thief, rav. bush month, journey;

b) foot, boot, ox, fox, man, woman, month, mouse, child, ship, goose, deer, cheese, sheep;

c) crisis, phenomenon, datum, nucleus, basis, apparatus, criterion, series, analysis, formula;

d) room-mate, fellow-worker, court-material, man-of-war, boy-messenger, onlooker, passerby, sister-in-law, postman, son-in-law, fisherman, schoolgirl, text-book, pocket-knife, statesman, editor-in-chief.

2. Change the number of the noun in italic type where possible and make all other necessary changes:

I. 1. Put the box on the shelf. 2.I was presented with a dozen handkerchiefs. 3. The boy must have two teeth pulled out. 4. The hunter got a prize for killing the wolf that had caused much damage to the village flock. 5. The child was bitterly crying over the broken toy. 6. He showed me a photo of his country house. 7. The scout brought some valuable information. 8. I bought a pair of nylon gloves. 9. I saw a mouse in the kitchen. 10. The ox drove a cart of hay.

II. 1. A very strange phenomenon was observed by astronomers yesterday. 12. Her hair was soft and curly.

III. 1. Boy drove the sheep to the village. 2. I have hurt my foot 3. This is a lady-bird 4. Where is the knife? 5. This factory has a good laboratory. 6. The last leaf fell from the free. 7. This story is very long. 8. The speech was very interesting. 9. He left the key on the table. 10. Where is the brush? 11. I like his new play. 12. The roof of the house was covered with snow. 13. The wife of the sailor stood on the shore. 14. My aunt has a goose.

IV. 1. The mice live behind the stove. 2. The keys to the boxes were lost. 3. The wolves have been shot. 4. The fish were caught. 5. We have good postmen in our area. 6. The cargoes will be discharged tomorrow.

3. Supply the missing words:

1. The stairs ... worn by thousands of visitors. 2. Where ... the scissors? -... are in the first drawer on the left. 3. The scales ... broken. 4. How much did you pay for ... trousers? - ... were very expensive! 5. If your clothes ... dirty, please put them in the laundry basket. 6. His old grandfather's watch ... made of gold. 7. All their belongings ... been destroyed in a fire. 8. My earnings (not)... high, but at least they regular, 9. These shorts ... fit me at all!

4. Use the appropriate form of the verb:

1. "There ... money in my pocket," I said to the porter (is, are). 2. I know my hair ... beautiful, everybody says so (is, are). 3. These white swine ... not live (does, do) 4. "this watch ... a special favourite with Mr. Pickwick, having been carried about for a greater number of years ,than we feel called, upon to state, at present (was, were)." 5, The deer ... ravaging the man's fields (was, were). 6. Money ... so scarce that it could fairly be said not to exist at all (was, were).