1)一些特殊變化
單數 | 復數 |
woman | women |
man | men |
child | children |
tooth | teeth |
foot | feet |
person | people |
leaf | leaves |
half | halves |
knife | knives |
wife | wives |
life | lives |
loaf | loaves |
potato | potatoes |
cactus | cacti |
focus | foci |
fungus | fungi |
nucleus | nuclei |
syllabus | syllabi/syllabuses |
analysis | analyses |
diagnosis | diagnoses |
oasis | oases |
thesis | theses |
crisis | crises |
phenomenon | phenomena |
criterion | criteria |
datum | data |
注意:由一個詞加 man 或 woman構成的合成詞,其復數形式也是 -men 和-women,如an Englishman,two Englishmen。但German不是合成詞,故復數形式為Germans;Bowman是姓,其復數是the Bowmans。
2) 2)單復同形,如deer,sheep,fish,Chinese,Japanese 等。但除人民幣的元、角、分外,美元、英鎊、法郎等都有復數形式。如:a dollar, two dollars; a meter, two meters。
單數 | 復數 |
sheep | sheep |
fish | fish |
species | species |
aircraft | aircraft |
3)集體名詞,以單數形式出現,但實為復數。例如:
people police cattle 等本身就是復數,不能說 a people,a police,a cattle,但可以說a person,a policeman,a head of cattle, the English,the British,the French,the Chinese,the Japanese,the Swiss 等名詞,表示國民總稱時,作復數用
如The Chinese are industries and brave. 中國人民是勤勞勇敢的。
4)以s結尾,仍為單數的名詞,如:
a. maths,politics,physics等學科名詞,一般是不可數名詞,為單數。
b. news 為不可數名詞。
c. the United States,the United Nations 應視為單數。
The United Nations was organized in 1945. 聯合國是1945年組建起來的。
news The news is on at 6.30 p.m.
athletics Athletics is good for young people.
linguistics Linguistics is the study of language.
darts Darts is a popular game in England.
billiards Billiards is played all over the world.
d. 以復數形式出現的書名,劇名,報紙,雜志名,也可視為單數。例如:
"The Arabian Nights" is a very interesting story-book. 《一千零一夜》是一本非常有趣的故事書。
5) 5)表示由兩部分構成的東西,如:glasses (眼鏡) trousers, clothes等,若表達具體數目,要借助數量詞 pair(對,雙); suit(套); a pair of glasses; two pairs of trousers等。
trousers My trousers are too tight.
jeans Her jeans are black.
glasses Those glasses are his.
6)另外還有一些名詞,其復數形式有時可表示特別意思,如:goods 貨物,waters 水域,fishes(各種)魚。