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Form ClassesEd McCorduckEnglish 402GrammarSUNY Cortland http://mccorduck.cortland.edu

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nouns definition: any word that takes the characteristic endings of nouns

slide 2: nounsEnglish 402: Grammar

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the plural ending-(e)s for regular nouns exxdog dogs cake cakes box boxes

(this ending may be pronounced [s] or [z] or as an additional syllable depending on the final sound of the noun it is added to)slide 3: the plural ending for regular nounsEnglish 402: Grammar

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no one form (though a few similar ones) for irregular nouns exxmouse micelouse licefoot feetgoose geesechild childrenman menfish fishdeer deer

slide 4: the plural ending for irregular nounsEnglish 402: Grammarregular inflections follow a predictable patternirregular inflections dont follow a pattern; unpredictable

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the possessive ending-s added to singular nouns -s added to plural nouns

slide 5: the possessive endingEnglish 402: Grammar-s and -s are identical in pronunciation to regular plural ending, leading to errors (in the traditional grammar sense) in written language such as the cars wheels (= the wheels of the car or the wheels of the cars) and to the contraction s of is, leading to errors such as the mans at the apartment now

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verbs definition: any word that takes the characteristic endings of verbs

slide 6: verbsEnglish 402: Grammar

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five forms for all verbs base form (a.k.a. present tense):no ending for all verbsthird person singular -(e)s ending for all verbs except be

slide 7: first two forms of verbsEnglish 402: Grammar

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past tense (a.k.a. ed form)-(e)d ending for regular verbspast participle (a.k.a. en form)-(e)d ending for regular verbs

slide 8: remaining three forms of verbsEnglish 402: GrammarWhy -en form? To distinguish it from the past tense form using the fact that the past participles of many irregular verbs end in n, e.g. know-known, speak-spoken, go-gone.present participle (a.k.a. ing form)-ing ending for all verbs

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