ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE

Grade 5

TICKLE YOUR TASTE BUDS

Module 13

SINGULAR AND PLURAL

“Singular and Plural” simply means: “One and Many”

Figure 1

Read the extract and:

1. underline all the singular nouns.

2. circle the plural nouns in RED.

Punk Cat and Pasha, her mate, are raising a litter of kittens. Gemma, our little hairy friend, is very interested in the sleeping, breathing pile of fur, noses, ears, paws and tails.

What letter do you find at the end of each plural noun? ___

Yes! Most singular nouns gain an –s when changed to the plural form.

Some words change slightly in the plural form. Help Pasha to teach Gemma how to discover the simple, yet valuable, clues and help them to use the clues in the rules.

Figure 2

The first one is done for you.Look for CLUES! Let me show you!

What was added to the word when it changed to the plural form?

That’s right! ES

Figure 3

Now try these!

(Clue: what is found before the –y?)

If a noun ends in ‘y’ following a consonant, change the __

(Clue: what is found before the –y?)

(This one is tricky!)

When a noun ends in a single ____ or ___, change the ‘f’ into __

There is no firm rule for these words. Some plurals end in ‘es’; others only take an ‘s’. (All musical terms end in ‘-os’.)

Some nouns don’t really have rules as to how they change.

Take a look and then add a couple of your own examples:

mouse - mice

foot - feet

child - children

woman - women

Write down your own examples.

Can you think of any nouns that do not change in the plural form? In other words, they stay the same,

Write down a few examples.

[LO 6.1.1; 6.1.4; 6.2.3]

Assessment

LO 2

SPEAKINGThe learner will be able to communicate effectively in spoken language in a wide range of situations.

We know this when the learner:

2.1 communicates experiences, ideas and information in different and fairly challenging contexts for different audiences and purposes:

2.1.1 uses language thoughtfully for interpersonal communication (e.g. praising someone’s efforts, disagreeing with someone);

2.1.4 describes events, presents feedback, and gives directions clearly and in an understandable way;

2.2 uses interaction strategies to communicate effectively in group situations:

2.2.1 takes turns, stays on topic, asks relevant questions, maintains discussion and responds to other’s ideas with empathy and respect;

2.2.3 uses appropriate intonation and facial expressions;

2.2.4 shows sensitivity to the rights and feelings of others during group work.

2.3 uses appropriate body language and presentation skills:

2.3.2 uses appropriate intonation and facial expressions;

2.3.3 adjusts tempo and volume for emphasis.

2.3.4 pauses at appropriate places and adjusts pace to needs of audience;

2.4 uses appropriate language for different purposes and audiences:

2.4.1 uses language with the appropriate register in less familiar situations;

2.4.3 uses language carefully to express complex but common emotions such as anger, impatience, sympathy, admiration.

2.4.4 identifies and challenges discriminatory use of language.

LO 6

LANGUAGE STRUCTURE AND USEThe learner will know and be able to use the sounds, words and grammar of the language to create and interpret texts.

We know this when the learner:

6.1 works with words:

6.1.1 uses prefixes, stems and suffixes/extensions to form words;

6.1.3 records words in a personal dictionary;

6.1.4 uses phonics and spelling rules to spell words correctly;

6.2 works with sentences:

6.2.3 identifies and uses nouns, pronouns, prepositions, articles and conjunctions;

6.2.6 consolidates use of punctuation learned so far.

6.4 develops awareness and use of style:

6.4.1 uses language appropriate for the audience, purpose and context (e.g.

formal / informal register);

Memorandum

Singular and Plural

The tasks on singular and plural are covered thoroughly in this unit. I have aimed to give the learners clues and strategies with regards to knowing when and how to use plurals, with special emphasis on spelling.

Read and:

mate ; litter ; friend ; pile

kittens ; fur (in this case, plural) ; noses ; ears ; paws ; tails

Discuss : What letter do you find at the end of each plural noun?

Yes! Most singular nouns gain an –s when changed to the plural form.

Identify other plural noun endings from these words. Write the singular noun in the boxes provided.

The boxes on the shelves were filled with toys, potatoes and radios.

They were being sent to poor children of different countries.

If a noun ends in a ‘y’ following a consonant, change the y to an ies.

If a noun ends in a –y following a vowel, only add an –s.

(This one is tricky!)

When a noun ends in a single f or fe, change the ‘f’ into –ves ; alternatively the word gains an –s.

There is no firm rule for these words. Some plurals end in ‘es’; others only take an ‘s’. (All musical terms end in ‘-os’.)

Some nouns don’t really have rules as to how they change.

Take a look and then add a couple of your own examples:

mouse - mice

foot - feet

child - children

Examples of plurals which learners could give :

louse – lice ; policeman – policemen ; fireman – firemen ; woman – women ; goose – geese ; tooth – teeth ; man – men ; die – dice ; ox – oxen

Can you think of any nouns which do not change in the plural form? In other words, they stay the same - (usually name of animals) -

sheep ; water ; salmon ; buck ; deer ; fish ; moose ; aircraft ; series ; reindeer

Some nouns take a singular form as they are ‘uncountable’:

advice ; gold ; luggage ; hair ; parking ; paper ; weather

Some words appear only in plural form :

scissors ; clothes ; thanks ; police ; news ; riches ; stairs ; measles ; mumps

Answers

Next activity