Numbers in English: Singular and Plural
English grammar में Number का उपयोग यह बताने के लिए किया जाता है कि हम एक व्यक्ति, वस्तु, स्थान या विचार की बात कर रहे हैं या एक से अधिक की।
English में Number के मुख्यतः दो प्रकार होते हैं:
- Singular Number – जब केवल एक व्यक्ति या वस्तु हो।
- Plural Number – जब एक से अधिक व्यक्ति या वस्तुएँ हों।
उदाहरण:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| book | books |
| student | students |
| apple | apples |
| teacher | teachers |
| child | children |
| man | men |
Singular = One
Plural = More than one
What is Singular Number?
जब किसी noun से केवल एक व्यक्ति, वस्तु, स्थान, पशु या विचार का पता चलता है, तो उसे Singular Number कहते हैं।
Examples:
- a boy
- a girl
- a book
- a pen
- a teacher
- a school
- a dog
- an apple
Sentence examples:
- This is a book.
- She is a teacher.
- I have one pen.
- The boy is playing.
- An apple is on the table.
यहाँ book, teacher, pen, boy और apple एक-एक व्यक्ति या वस्तु को दर्शाते हैं।
What is Plural Number?
जब किसी noun से एक से अधिक व्यक्ति, वस्तु, स्थान, पशु या विचार का पता चलता है, तो उसे Plural Number कहते हैं।
Examples:
- books
- boys
- girls
- teachers
- schools
- apples
- dogs
Sentence examples:
- These are books.
- The boys are playing.
- Five students are present.
- I bought three apples.
- The dogs are barking.
How to Make Plural Nouns in English?
English में अधिकांश nouns का plural बनाने के लिए noun के अंत में -s लगाया जाता है।
Rule 1: Add -s
अधिकांश सामान्य nouns में केवल -s जोड़कर plural बनाया जाता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| book | books |
| pen | pens |
| boy | boys |
| girl | girls |
| car | cars |
| table | tables |
| chair | chairs |
| school | schools |
| teacher | teachers |
| student | students |
Examples:
- one book → two books
- one car → five cars
- one student → ten students
Rule 2: Nouns Ending in s, ss, sh, ch, x and z
जिन nouns के अंत में s, ss, sh, ch, x या z आता है, उनमें सामान्यतः -es लगाया जाता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| bus | buses |
| class | classes |
| glass | glasses |
| brush | brushes |
| dish | dishes |
| watch | watches |
| box | boxes |
| fox | foxes |
| quiz | quizzes |
Examples:
- one bus → two buses
- one box → three boxes
- one class → four classes
- one watch → two watches
Important
box + s = boxs ❌
box + es = boxes ✅
इसी तरह:
bus + s = buss ❌
bus + es = buses ✅
Rule 3: Nouns Ending in Consonant + Y
यदि noun के अंत में consonant + y हो, तो plural बनाते समय y को हटाकर -ies लगाया जाता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| baby | babies |
| city | cities |
| country | countries |
| story | stories |
| lady | ladies |
| family | families |
| fly | flies |
| party | parties |
उदाहरण:
baby → babies
baby में y से पहले b consonant है, इसलिए y बदलकर ies होगा।
More Examples
- city → cities
- country → countries
- family → families
- story → stories
- party → parties
Rule 4: Vowel + Y
यदि noun के अंत में vowel + y हो, तो केवल -s लगाया जाता है। y को ies में नहीं बदला जाता।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| boy | boys |
| toy | toys |
| key | keys |
| day | days |
| monkey | monkeys |
यहाँ y से पहले vowel है:
- boy → o + y
- toy → o + y
- key → e + y
- day → a + y
इसलिए:
boy → boys ✅
boy → boies ❌
toy → toys ✅
toy → toies ❌
Rule 5: Nouns Ending in F or FE
कुछ nouns जो f या fe पर समाप्त होते हैं, उनका plural बनाते समय f/fe को ves में बदला जाता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| leaf | leaves |
| knife | knives |
| wife | wives |
| life | lives |
| wolf | wolves |
| half | halves |
| shelf | shelves |
| loaf | loaves |
Examples:
- leaf → leaves
- knife → knives
- wife → wives
- wolf → wolves
लेकिन सभी F/FE nouns में यह rule लागू नहीं होता
कुछ nouns में केवल -s लगाया जाता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| roof | roofs |
| chief | chiefs |
| belief | beliefs |
| chef | chefs |
| proof | proofs |
इसलिए spelling को याद रखना आवश्यक है।
Rule 6: Nouns Ending in O
कुछ nouns जो o पर समाप्त होते हैं, उनमें plural बनाने के लिए -es लगाया जाता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| potato | potatoes |
| tomato | tomatoes |
| hero | heroes |
| mango | mangoes |
| echo | echoes |
लेकिन कुछ nouns में केवल -s लगाया जाता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| photo | photos |
| piano | pianos |
| radio | radios |
| video | videos |
| zoo | zoos |
इसलिए केवल ending देखकर हर noun का plural तय नहीं किया जा सकता।
Irregular Plural Nouns
कुछ nouns का plural सामान्य rules से नहीं बनता। इन्हें Irregular Plural Nouns कहा जाता है।
इनमें -s या -es लगाने के बजाय पूरा word बदल जाता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| man | men |
| woman | women |
| child | children |
| person | people |
| foot | feet |
| tooth | teeth |
| mouse | mice |
| goose | geese |
Examples:
- one man → two men
- one woman → two women
- one child → three children
- one foot → two feet
- one tooth → many teeth
- one mouse → two mice
Common Mistakes
childs ❌ → children ✅
mans ❌ → men ✅
foots ❌ → feet ✅
tooths ❌ → teeth ✅
mouses ❌ → mice ✅
More Important Irregular Plurals
कुछ और महत्वपूर्ण irregular nouns:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| ox | oxen |
| louse | lice |
| die | dice |
| person | people |
| policeman | policemen |
| policewoman | policewomen |
| fireman | firemen |
| salesman | salesmen |
इनका उपयोग competitive exams और school grammar में अक्सर पूछा जाता है।
Same Singular and Plural Form
कुछ nouns का singular और plural form एक जैसा रहता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| sheep | sheep |
| deer | deer |
| fish | fish |
| species | species |
| aircraft | aircraft |
| series | series |
Examples:
- one sheep → two sheep
- one deer → five deer
- one aircraft → two aircraft
- one species → many species
ध्यान दें कि ऐसे nouns में plural बनाने के लिए सामान्यतः -s नहीं लगाया जाता।
two sheeps ❌
two sheep ✅
Nouns That Are Usually Used in Plural Form
कुछ nouns सामान्यतः plural form में ही प्रयोग किए जाते हैं।
Examples:
- scissors
- trousers
- pants
- spectacles
- clothes
- jeans
- shorts
इनके साथ अक्सर plural verb का प्रयोग किया जाता है।
Examples:
- These scissors are sharp.
- My trousers are new.
- These jeans are expensive.
लेकिन यदि किसी pair की बात करनी हो तो a pair of का प्रयोग किया जाता है।
- a pair of scissors
- a pair of trousers
- a pair of jeans
- a pair of spectacles
Example:
- This pair of scissors is new.
यहाँ मुख्य subject pair है, इसलिए singular verb is आएगा।
Uncountable Nouns
कुछ nouns को सामान्यतः सीधे numbers के साथ count नहीं किया जाता। इन्हें Uncountable Nouns कहा जाता है।
Examples:
- water
- milk
- rice
- sugar
- information
- advice
- furniture
- knowledge
- luggage
- equipment
इनके साथ सामान्यतः plural -s नहीं लगाया जाता।
Incorrect and Correct
informations ❌ → information ✅
advices ❌ → advice ✅
furnitures ❌ → furniture ✅
luggages ❌ → luggage ✅
equipments ❌ → equipment ✅
यदि मात्रा बतानी हो तो suitable expressions का उपयोग किया जाता है।
- a piece of advice
- a piece of information
- a piece of furniture
- a piece of equipment
Examples:
- I need some information.
- She gave me a piece of advice.
- We bought three pieces of furniture.
Singular and Plural with Numbers
जब किसी noun से पहले one हो, तो noun सामान्यतः singular होता है।
Examples:
- one book
- one student
- one apple
- one car
- one teacher
जब संख्या one से अधिक हो, तो countable noun सामान्यतः plural होता है।
Examples:
- two books
- three students
- five apples
- ten cars
- twenty teachers
Important Rule
one student ✅
two student ❌
two students ✅
five book ❌
five books ✅
Singular and Plural with This and These
This का प्रयोग singular noun के साथ होता है।
- This book is interesting.
- This student is intelligent.
- This car is new.
These का प्रयोग plural noun के साथ होता है।
- These books are interesting.
- These students are intelligent.
- These cars are new.
याद रखने की आसान Trick
This → One
These → More than one
That and Those
That singular noun के साथ प्रयोग होता है।
- That boy is my brother.
- That book is mine.
- That house is beautiful.
Those plural noun के साथ प्रयोग होता है।
- Those boys are my friends.
- Those books are mine.
- Those houses are beautiful.
Quick Comparison
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| this book | these books |
| that book | those books |
| this boy | these boys |
| that boy | those boys |
A and An with Singular Nouns
A और An का प्रयोग सामान्यतः singular countable nouns के साथ किया जाता है।
Examples:
- a boy
- a girl
- a book
- a teacher
- an apple
- an egg
- an umbrella
- an elephant
ध्यान रखें कि a/an का प्रयोग plural noun के साथ नहीं होता।
a books ❌
a book ✅
an apples ❌
an apple ✅
One of + Plural Noun
जब sentence में one of आता है, तो उसके बाद noun सामान्यतः plural form में आता है।
Examples:
- He is one of my friends.
- She is one of the best students.
- This is one of the important books.
- Delhi is one of the largest cities in India.
ध्यान दें:
one of my friend ❌
one of my friends ✅
क्योंकि अर्थ है — कई friends में से एक।
Each and Every + Singular Noun
Each और Every के बाद सामान्यतः singular countable noun आता है।
Examples:
- Each student has a book.
- Each boy is ready.
- Every student must attend the class.
- Every child needs care.
गलत:
Each students ❌
सही:
Each student ✅
इसी तरह:
Every boys ❌
Every boy ✅
Many and Few + Plural Noun
Many और Few के साथ countable plural nouns का प्रयोग होता है।
Examples:
- many students
- many books
- many people
- few questions
- few boys
- few opportunities
Examples:
- There are many students in the class.
- I have few books.
- She asked many questions.
Much and Little + Uncountable Nouns
Much और Little का प्रयोग सामान्यतः uncountable nouns के साथ किया जाता है।
Examples:
- much water
- much information
- little money
- little time
- much knowledge
Examples:
- We have little time.
- He has much knowledge.
- There isn’t much water.
Number of and A Number of
यह grammar का एक बहुत important point है।
The number of + plural noun + singular verb
Examples:
- The number of students is increasing.
- The number of cars is very high.
- The number of applicants has increased.
यहाँ number मुख्य subject है, इसलिए singular verb आता है।
A number of + plural noun + plural verb
Examples:
- A number of students are absent.
- A number of people have applied.
- A number of books are available.
याद रखें:
The number of → Singular verb
A number of → Plural verb
Collective Nouns
कुछ nouns कई लोगों या वस्तुओं के समूह को दर्शाते हैं। इन्हें Collective Nouns कहा जाता है।
Examples:
- team
- family
- class
- committee
- audience
- crowd
- army
Examples:
- The team is ready.
- My family is large.
- The class is quiet.
British English में context के अनुसार collective noun को plural sense में भी लिया जा सकता है, लेकिन सामान्य school-level grammar में collective noun को अक्सर singular unit की तरह पढ़ाया जाता है।
Compound Nouns and Plural Forms
Compound noun में दो या अधिक words मिलकर एक noun बनाते हैं।
Examples:
- mother-in-law
- brother-in-law
- passer-by
- son-in-law
कुछ compound nouns में मुख्य noun को plural बनाया जाता है।
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| mother-in-law | mothers-in-law |
| brother-in-law | brothers-in-law |
| son-in-law | sons-in-law |
| passer-by | passers-by |
ध्यान दें:
mother-in-laws ❌
mothers-in-law ✅
Plural of Names and Titles
किसी family name को plural बनाने के लिए सामान्य नियमों का उपयोग किया जा सकता है।
उदाहरण:
- the Smiths
- the Browns
- the Sharmas
Example:
- The Sharmas are coming to the party.
यहाँ Sharma family के एक से अधिक members की बात हो रही है।
Plural of Abbreviations
कुछ abbreviations का plural बनाने के लिए -s लगाया जाता है।
Examples:
- one CD → two CDs
- one NGO → several NGOs
- one ATM → many ATMs
- one PDF → many PDFs
आमतौर पर apostrophe की आवश्यकता नहीं होती।
CD’s ❌
CDs ✅
Singular and Plural Verb Agreement
Noun के singular या plural होने का असर verb पर भी पड़ सकता है।
Singular Subject
- The boy is playing.
- The girl is reading.
- The student has a book.
Plural Subject
- The boys are playing.
- The girls are reading.
- The students have books.
Compare
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| The boy is happy. | The boys are happy. |
| She has a pen. | They have pens. |
| This book is useful. | These books are useful. |
| That student was absent. | Those students were absent. |
Common Singular-Plural Mistakes
English सीखते समय कुछ mistakes बहुत common हैं।
Mistake 1
He has two book. ❌
Correct:
He has two books. ✅
Mistake 2
She bought three apple. ❌
Correct:
She bought three apples. ✅
Mistake 3
These book are useful. ❌
Correct:
These books are useful. ✅
Mistake 4
One of my friend is a teacher. ❌
Correct:
One of my friends is a teacher. ✅
Mistake 5
She gave me many advice. ❌
Correct:
She gave me much advice. ✅
या:
She gave me several pieces of advice. ✅
Mistake 6
The childs are playing. ❌
Correct:
The children are playing. ✅
Mistake 7
Two womans are standing there. ❌
Correct:
Two women are standing there. ✅
Important Singular-Plural Words for Exams
नीचे कुछ frequently asked singular-plural forms दिए गए हैं:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| man | men |
| woman | women |
| child | children |
| person | people |
| mouse | mice |
| tooth | teeth |
| foot | feet |
| goose | geese |
| ox | oxen |
| leaf | leaves |
| knife | knives |
| wife | wives |
| life | lives |
| shelf | shelves |
| wolf | wolves |
| city | cities |
| country | countries |
| baby | babies |
| story | stories |
| box | boxes |
| class | classes |
| bus | buses |
| watch | watches |
| dish | dishes |
| potato | potatoes |
| tomato | tomatoes |
| hero | heroes |
| sheep | sheep |
| deer | deer |
| fish | fish |
| aircraft | aircraft |
| species | species |
| series | series |
Singular and Plural: Quick Rules
पूरे topic को जल्दी revise करने के लिए ये rules याद रखें:
1. Most nouns → +s
book → books
2. s, ss, sh, ch, x, z → +es
box → boxes
3. consonant + y → ies
city → cities
4. vowel + y → +s
boy → boys
5. कुछ f/fe → ves
knife → knives
6. कुछ o-ending nouns → es
tomato → tomatoes
7. कुछ nouns irregular होते हैं
man → men
8. कुछ nouns में singular और plural same होते हैं
sheep → sheep
9. Uncountable nouns सामान्यतः plural नहीं होते
advice, information, furniture
10. One of + plural noun
one of my friends
Practice Questions
Question 1
What is the plural form of child?
A. childs
B. children
C. childes
D. childrens
Answer: B. children
Question 2
What is the plural of box?
A. boxs
B. boxes
C. boxies
D. boxen
Answer: B. boxes
Question 3
Choose the correct sentence.
A. These book are new.
B. These books is new.
C. These books are new.
D. This books are new.
Answer: C. These books are new.
Question 4
What is the plural of mouse?
A. mouses
B. mouse
C. mice
D. meese
Answer: C. mice
Question 5
Choose the correct phrase.
A. one of my friend
B. one of my friends
C. one of my friend’s
D. one of my friendship
Answer: B. one of my friends
Question 6
What is the plural of city?
A. citys
B. cities
C. cityes
D. citis
Answer: B. cities
Question 7
Choose the correct word:
I need some ______.
A. informations
B. information
C. an information
D. informationses
Answer: B. information
Question 8
What is the plural of knife?
A. knifes
B. knifees
C. knives
D. knivs
Answer: C. knives
Question 9
Choose the correct sentence.
A. Every students are ready.
B. Every student are ready.
C. Every students is ready.
D. Every student is ready.
Answer: D. Every student is ready.
Question 10
What is the plural of woman?
A. womans
B. women
C. womanes
D. womens
Answer: B. women
How to Learn Singular and Plural Effectively?
Singular-plural के rules केवल रटने के बजाय examples के साथ सीखना ज्यादा useful है।
एक simple तरीका यह है:
Step 1: पहले common -s rule सीखें।
book → books
Step 2: फिर -es वाले words सीखें।
box → boxes
Step 3: y → ies rule समझें।
city → cities
Step 4: vowel + y को अलग पहचानें।
boy → boys
Step 5: important irregular forms याद करें।
man → men
child → children
mouse → mice
foot → feet
Step 6: uncountable nouns की list पर ध्यान दें।
advice, information, furniture, luggage आदि।
Step 7: sentences में practice करें।
सिर्फ word pairs याद करने के बजाय sentence में उनका प्रयोग करने से grammar ज्यादा आसानी से याद रहती है।
Final Revision
English में Number मुख्यतः यह बताता है कि noun एक है या एक से अधिक।
Singular Number → one
- a book
- a student
- a child
Plural Number → more than one
- books
- students
- children
अधिकांश nouns में -s जोड़कर plural बनता है, लेकिन कुछ nouns में -es, -ies, -ves जैसे changes होते हैं। इसके अलावा man → men, child → children, mouse → mice जैसे irregular plurals भी होते हैं।
कुछ nouns जैसे sheep, deer और aircraft में singular और plural form समान रह सकता है। वहीं advice, information और furniture जैसे uncountable nouns को सामान्यतः plural -s नहीं दिया जाता।
यदि आप school exams, competitive exams या spoken/written English की तैयारी कर रहे हैं, तो singular-plural के केवल rules याद करने के बजाय common exceptions और sentence usage पर भी ध्यान देना चाहिए। यही छोटी-छोटी grammar details English को अधिक accurate बनाती हैं।