The following words are frequently misp.r.o.nounced. Divide them into syllables, mark the accent, and p.r.o.nounce carefully.

munic.i.p.al exquisite champion accurately interesting gondola inquiry Genoa influence finance inexplicable alias ill.u.s.trate deficit despicable expert inventory pretense mischievous impious alternate dirigible perfume detail

CHAPTER III

SPELLING RULES

=Exercise 29--Plurals of Nouns=

(_a_) dress, dresses (_b_) chair, chairs splash, splashes wave, waves business, businesses book, books church, churches pencil, pencils fox, foxes paper, papers

The usual way of forming the plural of English nouns is ill.u.s.trated by the words in column (_b_) above. What is it?

If you add _s_ to the singular form _dress_, could you distinguish the p.r.o.nunciation of the plural from the p.r.o.nunciation of the singular? Does this suggest a reason for adding _es_ to form the plural?

How many syllables must you use to p.r.o.nounce the plural of fox? Does this suggest another reason for adding _es_ to form the plural?

Every word that ends in a sibilant or hissing sound (_ch_, _s_, _sh_, _ss_, _x_, _z_) forms its plural like _fox_. Give several ill.u.s.trations.

=Rule 1.--Nouns regularly form the plural by adding _s_, but those ending in a sibilant must add_es_.=

=Exercise 30=

(_a_) lady, ladies (_b_) valley, valleys ally, allies alley, alleys soliloquy, soliloquies journey, journeys

Name five words belonging to group (_a_) above. Does a vowel or a consonant precede the _y_ in each case?

Name other words belonging to the group (_b_) above. Does a vowel or a consonant precede the _y_ in each case?

=Rule 2.--Nouns ending in _y_ preceded by a consonant (and nouns ending in _quy_) form the plural by changing _y_ to _i_ and adding _es_.=

=Exercise 31--Words ending in o=

(_a_)

potato, potatoes hero, heroes mulatto, mulattoes tomato, tomatoes buffalo, buffaloes cargo, cargoes negro, negroes echo, echoes motto, mottoes

(_b_)

solo, solos piano, pianos memento, mementos halo, halos la.s.so, la.s.sos canto, cantos zero, zeros quarto, quartos soprano, sopranos stilletto, stillettos

The older English words ending in _o_ form the plural by adding _es_, as in potatoes; those more recently taken into the language form the plural by adding _s_, as in quartos.

=Exercise 32--Nouns in f and fe=

leaf, leaves calf, calves wife, wives loaf, loaves sheaf, sheaves shelf, shelves half, halves wolf, wolves elf, elves life, lives beef, beeves wharf, wharves (or wharfs) self, selves knife, knives

With the exception of the words given above, nouns ending in an _f_ sound form the plural in the regular way; as,

hoof, hoofs scarf, scarfs beliefs, beliefs chief, chiefs reef, reefs grief, griefs

=Exercise 33--Irregular Plurals=

Some nouns form their plural by a change of vowel; as,

man men foot feet woman women tooth teeth goose geese mouse mice

A few words retain the old time plural _en_; as,

brother brethren child children ox oxen

A few words are the same in both singular and plural; as,

sheep, trout, deer

Some nouns have two plurals which differ in meaning; as,

_Singular_ _Plural_ brother brothers brethren penny pennies pence pea peas pease die dies dice

Consult a dictionary for the difference in meaning between the two plurals of each word.

=Exercise 34--Compound Nouns=

_Singular_ _Plural_ brother-in-law brothers-in-law father-in-law fathers-in-law court-martial courts-martial commander-in-chief commanders-in-chief man-of-war men-of-war major general major generals goose quill goose quills bill of fare bills of fare spoonful spoonfuls cupful cupfuls

=Rule 3.--Compound nouns usually add the sign of the plural to the fundamental part of the word.=

NOTE.--In _spoonfuls_ the thought is of one spoon many times full.

=Plural of Letters and Figures=

=Rule 4.--Letters and figures form the plural by adding the apostrophe (') and _s_; as,=

a a's 3 3's w w's 5 5's

The same rule applies to the plural of words which ordinarily have no plural; as,

Don't use so many _and's_ and _if's_.