1. 可数名词

可数名词包括单数名词、复数名词和集体名词。这类名词的使用原则是：

1. 单数可数名词从不单独使用，如其前不加冠词或 one’s，就必须改名词单数为复数形式。

2. 复数名词或不可数名词表泛指意义时，其前不得添加任何冠词。

3. many，several，(a) few 之后，或 one of the/one’s 之后绝不能接可数名词的单数形式。

2. 可数名词复数的不规则变化形式

1. Negro — Negroes hero — heroes tomato — tomatoes potato — potatoes

zoo — zoos bamboo — bamboos radio — radios piano — pianos

photo — photos

2. knife — knives leaf — leaves loaf — loaves wolf — wolves

wife — wives half — halves thief — thieves

chief — chiefs roof — roofs belief — beliefs gulf — gulfs

handkerchief — handkerchiefs(handkerchieves)

3. goose — geese tooth — teeth

4. man — men woman — women gentleman — gentlemen

Frenchman — Frenchmen policeman — policemen

German — Germans Roman — Romans

5. 单、复数同形的名词 sheep，deer，Swiss，Portuguese，Chinese，Japanese，head(牲畜的头数)，means

6. child — children mouse — mice

7. 合成名词的复数构成方式：中心名词变复数。如：passer-by→passers-by， father-in-law→fathers-in-law;无中心名词在词尾变复数。如：grown-up→grown-ups

3. 以复数形式使用的名词

总是以复数形式使用的复数名词有：

clothes，trousers，glasses(眼镜)，thanks，congratulations，preparations，goods，looks(外表)，manners(礼貌)，Customs(海关、关税)，in high spirits，give regards to，give (one's) best wishes to

4.  表复数意义的名词

这类名词作主语，谓语用复数形式：

例如：cattle，police，people

4. 1集体名词

这类名词作主语，强调整体时，谓语动词用单数形式，强调个体及其成员时，谓语动词用复数形式。

例如：class，family，team，group，party，army，enemy，crew，government，company，crowd，committee

5. 不可数名词

5.1  专有名词

单个单词形式的专有名词无复数，不与冠词连用;由普通名词构成的专有名词前用定冠词。

例如： China has a longer history than the United States.

5.2  学科名词和物质名词

学科名词与物质名词表泛指时，不用冠词。

例如： My brother likes physics while I like chemistry.

5.3  抽象名词

表泛指意义的抽象名词或用在介词之后的抽象名词，不可数，不与冠词连用。

抽象名词表具体意义或被某一(些)形容词修饰，与不定冠词连用。

Failure is the mother of success.

Dictionary is a great help to many people.

be of (some/much/little/no/great) + 少数几个抽象名词，如 value，help，use，importance 意同“be + 该抽象名词的形容词形式”。

It is said that tomorrow's meeting is of much importance.

(比较：It is said that tomorrow's meeting is very important.)

掌握某些名词永不用复数形式，永不与不定冠词 a/an 连用。

fun，luck，news，information，progress，equipment，furniture，practice，advice，clothing，homework，housework，medicine，grass，rice，wealth，health，gold，earth(土)，ham，luggage，baggage，money

6.  名词的格

6.1 名词所有格的表达

在有生命的名词后加’s

表示在店铺或在某人家里的名词后加’s

在表示国家、地域、天体、时间、距离、机关团体等无生命名词后也可加’s

This is Mary and Lucy's classroom.

China's industry is developing fast.

Is Tom's mother in the tailor's or the butcher's or at Mr. Smith's?

无生命的名词后接 of +名词

有生命的名词在其中心词有较长定语时，用 of +名词

The cover of Mr. Smith's book is dirty.

Have you heard of the story of William Tell and his son?

所有物名词前有冠词、数词、不定代词时，用双重所有格 of one’s +名词

中心名词前有指示代词表赞赏或厌恶等感情色彩时，用双重所有格 of one’s +名词

A friend of my father's likes this picture of David's, too.

Who enjoy that pride of Linda's?

7.  名词作定语

名词作定语，多是脱口而出的与日常生活密切相关的情形。具体如下：

名词作定语，表类别：

woman scientist，man doctor，girl student，boy friend，tea cup，coffee cup，room number，telephone number，history lesson，evening dress，evening school，college student，street light，country life，Nobel Prize，body temperature，animal/plant life， motorcar，school education，car door/window，meeting-room，river bank，tooth-brush， English teacher，winter sleep，government office，church clock，bus driver，air pollution，lunch room

名词作定语表材料、作用、来源、内容：

cloth bag，stone bridge，gas station，bulletin board，shoe shop，book store/shop，

snow mountain，answer sheet，sports field，bamboo pipe，meeting room，diamond necklace， straw hat，peasant boy/family，Chinese medicine

特别留心：

a woman scientisttwo women scientists

a man doctorthree men doctors

a girl studentnine girl students

a boy friend ten boy friends

a goods train the sports shoes

a sales girl the clothes shop/line

a middle-aged woman

a one-eyed man

a six-month-old baby

a ten-storied building

a forty-metre-deep well

a three-legged table

an 80-metre-wide street

a twenty-year-old lady

an 800-word composition

a five-year plan

a thirty-hour trip

a fifty-dollar note/check