Number And Gender
Number:
Refers to the feature of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs that express count distinctions, such as singular (one) or plural (more than one).
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In linguistics, grammatical number is a feature of nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions (such as "one", "two" or "three or more").[1] English and many other languages present number categories of singular or plural. Some languages also have a dual, trial and paucal number or other arrangements.
Some languages also include additional number distinctions:
Dual – Specifically refers to two entities (e.g., some Slavic, Arabic, and Austronesian languages).
Trial – Refers to exactly three entities (found in some Austronesian and Aboriginal Australian languages).
Paucal – Used for a small, unspecified number (found in some languages like Arabic and Fijian).
Singulative/Collective – A system where a base noun form is collective, and a suffix or prefix marks a single entity (e.g., Welsh plant "children" vs. plentyn "child").
In English, grammatical number primarily affects:
- Nouns (e.g., cat → cats)
- Pronouns (e.g., I → we, he → they)
- Verb agreement (e.g., he runs vs. they run)
Example:
- Mr. Lotif is a teacher. His wife is a banker. They have only one child. Theirs is a small family. They live a happy life.
- Mr.& Mrs. Choudhury are teachers. They have two children. Both of them are students. All the four members of his family are found of books.
In the fast passage, each of the underlined nouns denotes only one person or thing. On the other hand, each underlined noun in the second passage denotes more than one person or thing.
This is related to the number. A noun that denotes one person or thing is said to have a singular form. For example, the nouns in the first passage (teacher, banker, child, family, and wife) are all singular in form. On the contrary, a noun that denotes more than one person or thing is said to have a plural form.
Types Of Numbers:
In English grammar, the two main types of grammatical number are singular (referring to one) and plural (referring to more than one).
Singular Number:
"Singular number" refers to a grammatical category used to indicate that a noun, pronoun, or verb is referring to just one person, place, thing, or idea.
Here are some more examples of singular
Nouns:
- Person: boy, girl, teacher, doctor
- Place: city, park, house, school
- Things: pen, book, table, chair
- Idea: happiness, sadness, courage, knowledge
Pronoun:
Personal Pronouns (Singular)
- I am going to the store.
- You look great today.
- He is my best friend.
- She loves reading books.
- It is raining outside.
Possessive Pronouns (Singular)
- This book is mine.
- That bag is yours.
- The red car is his.
- The blue dress is hers.
- The idea was its original concept.
Demonstrative Pronouns (Singular)
- This is my favorite movie.
- That is an interesting story.
Indefinite Pronouns (Singular)
- Someone is knocking at the door.
- Anybody can learn a new skill.
- Nobody knows the answer. E
- verything is ready for the party.
- Each of the students has a book.
Verb:
- He writes a letter. (Singular verb: "writes" agrees with singular subject "He")
Plural Number
Grammatical plural number refers to the form of a noun, pronoun, or verb that indicates more than one person, thing, or concept. In English, the plural is typically formed by adding an "s" or "es" to the singular form of a noun.
Examples of plural nouns:
- Books (singular: book)
- Cars (singular: car)
- Children (singular: child)
- Dogs (singular: dog)
- Houses (singular: house)
Example of a plural pronoun:
- They (e.g., They are going to the park.)
- We (e.g., We are planning a trip.)
- Them (e.g., I saw them at the store.)
Gender:
Grammatical gender is a system in some languages where nouns are classified into different categories, often based on masculine, feminine, and sometimes neuter distinctions. These categories affect the forms of words related to the noun, such as pronouns, adjectives, and verbs.
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Grammatical gender is a linguistic system where nouns are categorized into classes (like masculine, feminine, and neuter) that influence the form of other words in a sentence, such as articles and pronouns, even if the noun's meaning doesn't relate to biological sex.
Types of Gender:
There are four genders in English:
- Masculine Gender
- Feminine Gender
- Common Gender
- Neuter Gender
Masculine Gender:
In English grammar, "masculine gender" refers to nouns or pronouns that denote male individuals or animals, as well as words or grammatical forms that generally refer to males.
Feminine Gender:
In English grammar, "feminine gender" refers to words (nouns and pronouns) that typically denote female beings, such as humans, animals, or birds, or things considered as female.
Common Gender:
In English, common gender refers to a noun that can be used for both males and females without specifying gender.
Neuter Gender
Grammatical neuter gender refers to nouns that are neither masculine nor feminine. In languages with gendered grammar (like German or Latin), neuter gender is used for things that are typically not associated with biological sex, such as objects, abstract concepts, or some animals.
