Everyone knows that nouns are declined, that is, they change in cases and numbers. But does the phrase from the song performed by Marina Khlebnikova sound right:
Can I pour you a cup of coffee that invigorates you?
There are exceptions to every rule. So, the word "coffee" refers to indeclinable nouns. It is not used in the plural and does not change by case. The correct usage is "a cup of coffee". The topic of our article will be such exceptions - nouns that have only the singular form. Let's consider in more detail.
Nouns: number
It is not only in mathematics. Nouns also have the category of number. Knowing this means using them correctly both in speech and in writing. Most nouns denote things that can be counted. For this, the Russian language has categories of both singular and plural. The most difficult thing is to understand that there are nouns that have only the singular form, or, conversely, only the plural. At the same time, other nuances appear in speech.
So, there are cases when plurality is expressed by the form of a noun in the singular. An example is the phrase: "The enemy will not pass!". This clearly refers to the enemy army, and not one specific person.
There is a predominant use of individual nouns in the plural:
- gossip;
- rein;
- skiing.
Although this is a part of speech that changes in numbers, and the use of words is quite acceptable:
- gossip;
- rein;
- ski.
The most common nouns that do not have a plural form are:
- real;
- collective;
- abstract;
Let's take a closer look at this using examples.
Designation of substance, material
What are these words? Singular nouns denoting objects with a real value. There are quite a few of them, which is confirmed by examples:
- sugar;
- milk;
- petrol;
- water;
- asphalt;
- cotton;
- ceramics;
- porcelain.
From these nouns it is impossible to form another form, including the plural. You can't put them on endings -i, -a, -i, -s.
Nouns only singular: examples of collectives
The names of sets of identical objects or persons are what we call collective nouns. They bring together those who have some common feature:
- students (everyone who studies at universities);
- youth (part of the population under the age of 30);
- youth (young people from 14 to 21 years old);
- childhood (from 0 to 18 years).
Collective nouns that have only the singular form can also refer to inanimate objects:
- foliage;
- spruce forest;
- Flora.
It just needs to be remembered.
abstract nouns
These are words that cannot be represented objectively, as well as counted. These include titles:
- quality or trait (youth, darkness, dexterity, blueness);
- states or actions (mowing, cutting, fighting, anger, delight).
How to learn to define nouns only in the singular? Examples of tasks will help to cope with the task.
So, you can pick up antonyms for words that, by analogy, also cannot be used in the plural:
- running around;
- strength;
- aggression;
- stuffiness;
- honesty.
(Answers: walking, weakness, calmness, freshness, lies).
From a literary text in three columns, you can write out all nouns according to the principle:
- used in two numbers;
- only in the singular;
- only in the plural.
Thanks to this, it will become clearer that there are much more of the former.
Features: inanimate noun, proper
The singular for proper names is more common. They are rarely used in plural form. This often applies to surnames, if you have to single out a whole group of people according to the principle of kinship. Example:
- Only the Galkins, Lazarevs and Ivanovskys lived in a small village.
- The Kuznetsov family was distinguished by enviable health.
If the proper name acts as the only object and is inanimate, then in without fail used in the singular:
- Moscow.
- Volga.
- Mercury.
- Ural.
- Uruguay.
This also applies to compound names:
- "First channel";
- program "Around the World";
- Mona Lisa painting.
But this is not a complete list. Of course, these are not all nouns that have only the singular form.
Should be remembered
In Russian, words ending in -mya do not have plural forms. These nouns are easy to remember:
- crown;
- burden;
- udder;
- flame.
But the tribe is the tribes, the seed is the seeds.
So, we list the nouns of only the singular, examples of which are presented in the table.
Another condition by which it can be determined that a noun does not have a plurality is the absence of a combination with
Lesson topic:
Nouns that have only the plural form.
The purpose of the lesson: familiarity with nouns that have only the plural form;
Tasks: Memorize lexical groups of words that have only the plural form; distinguish between homonymous plural forms;
learn to find them among other nouns;
use them correctly in speech
Subject: which nouns have only plural form; how to distinguish them from nouns, which have two forms of number; learn to find them among other nouns and use them correctly.
Metasubject:
Cognitive UUD: the ability to work with reference literature, posing and solving problems;
Regulatory: the ability to set goals, plan their work, conduct self-examination;
Communicative: the ability to work in a group, to search and collect information, different forms speech.
Personal: the education of responsibility, respect, the ability to work in a group, the ability to evaluate the answers of their classmates.
Computer with speakers.
multimedia equipment.
Presentation for the lesson in PowerPoint.
Nouns are the main component of our speech. Of the many possible words, we always choose the most suitable for us in style and color. The way a person builds his speech can say a lot about his personality and mindset to the interlocutor. Therefore, it is very important to be able to correctly and clearly express your thoughts. To do this, you need to know the basics of the grammar of the Russian language and be able to apply them in real life while communicating with people. In this article, we will analyze such a category as the number of nouns.
A noun in Russian can be used in one of two possible forms - in the singular or in the plural. Number is one of the main features of the part of speech called the noun. But there are Russian nouns that can be used in speech only in the singular or only in the plural. Let's deal with everything in order.
Singular nouns
With nouns in the singular, in general, everything is clear and understandable even without grammatical rules: they denote one thing or person, that is, any (for example, a pen, a book, a house, a cat). Such nouns in the singular have their own gender (feminine, masculine or neuter; sometimes common), and also, regardless of the number, decline in cases.
Plural nouns
The same nouns can also be used in the plural (pens, books, houses, cats). These are nouns denoting several things. Very often in Russian there are nouns that have only the plural form. You can read about them below.
Plural nouns that are often misspelled
More than one full-fledged article could be written about the most common mistakes in everyday speech in Russian, but here we will focus our attention only on the incorrect use of nouns. In nouns, the plural and the correct formation of forms are very often questioned.
Be sure to pay attention to the spelling of the following words in the genitive case: boots - boots, felt boots - boots, boots - boots, soldiers - soldiers, places - places, apples - apples.
And mistakes in using these words in the genitive case can be very often heard in grocery stores: tangerines - tangerines, nectarines - nectarines, tomatoes - tomatoes, oranges - oranges. Nouns that have only the plural form differ somewhat from the data in terms of case declension.
Formation of plural forms: features
Sometimes in the formation of the plural form for a certain category of nouns, some difficulties arise. There are no rules as such in Russian that determine which ending is required for the plural of nouns that we need to apply at a particular moment. Therefore, it can be quite difficult to use the word correctly. Let's pay attention to special cases concerning plural nouns. It is better to just memorize them so as not to make mistakes and not to doubt the correct use of words.
First of all, these are masculine nouns (s in the singular), with the endings -ы, -и, most often denoting professions. For example, a trainer - trainers (not a trainer!), an agreement - contracts, an accountant - accountants, a lecturer - lecturers, a cream - creams and so on.
The next group is the same nouns as in the previous one, but with the endings -а, -я: professor - professors, doctor - doctors, director - directors, anchor - anchors and so on.
Nouns always used in the singular
There are many nouns in Russian that do not change in number and are always used exclusively in the singular form. Consider the groups into which such nouns can be conditionally divided:
Denoting different feelings, features of the state and human qualities (tenderness, anger, anger, hatred, lust, dependence, security, weakness, kindness);
Denoting signs of an object (grayness, blueness, redness, thinness, fullness, density);
Real (oil, gold, steel, tin, silver, nickel, sugar, sour cream, butter, pearls);
Denoting several of some identical items in the aggregate (dishes, foliage, children, animals);
Denoting objects that exist in all of nature in a single copy (Sun, Earth, sky, Moon); geographical names (Argentina, Stockholm, Moscow, Irtysh, Novosibirsk, Crimea, Ob) also belong to this group.
Nouns that have only plural form
The following nouns exist in the Russian language only in the plural:
denoting different kind substances (rouge, perfume, ink, yeast);
Denoting objects in a pair (jeans, rakes, rollers, trousers, leggings, pants, leggings, glasses, sleds, sleds);
Denoting games or some processes (checkers, tags, hide-and-seek, blind man's blind, catch-up, elections);
denoting natural phenomena or time periods (day, holidays, twilight, weekdays);
Being geographical or astronomical names (Sochi, Alps, Kuriles, Libra).
So, let's summarize: in Russian there are two forms of nouns - singular and plural. Most words have both forms, but there are also nouns that have only the plural form, and, of course, those that are used only in the singular.
Purpose: 1. To know the categories of nouns that have only the plural form or only the singular. 2. Be able to distinguish nouns that have one numerical form from other nouns. 3. Be able to select antonyms for nouns.
Discharges of nouns that have only the plural form 1. Names of paired objects: sleigh, droshki, scissors, pincers, gates, glasses, trousers, etc. 2. Names of games: burners, hide and seek, blind man's bluff, chess, checkers, etc. 3. Designations of individual time intervals: day, weekdays, twilight, holidays, etc. 4. Material-collective nouns: pasta, cream, yeast, ink, perfume, etc. 5. Proper names: Alps, Carpathians, Kholmogory, Gorki.
Discharges of nouns that have the form of only the singular 1. Real nouns: butter, milk, sugar, water, oil, steel, copper, etc. 2. Collective nouns: spruce forest, youth, students, etc. 3. Abstract (abstract): whiteness, cleanliness, laziness, kindness, thinness, enthusiasm, running around, mowing, walking, warmth, dampness, thaw, etc. 5. Proper names (full name): Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
A plural form of some of these nouns is possible, but only to refer to certain grades, grades Stainless steel (singular) - alloy steels (pl.); olive oil(unit) - technical oils (plural); impenetrable mud (sing.) - therapeutic mud (pl.); spinal cord (sing.) – prepare brains (pl.)
Choose antonyms for nouns that are used only in the singular. (10 b.) Strength - weakness; true False; wealth - poverty; tears - laughter; fun - sadness; old age - youth; anger is kindness; white - black; running around - walking; light is darkness.
