The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 396–402 · Part 2: Part Second
110. Singular and plural
Goal: Your child tells whether a noun names one thing or more than one and changes sentences from plural to singular.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
What's in the book
Section 396 gives twelve sentences in pairs (a man / men, the boy / boys) to sort into nouns naming one and nouns naming more than one. Section 398 gives the definitions of singular and plural number. Sections 399 and 400 give sentences to change from plural to singular. Sections 401 and 402 ask for more practice.
The lesson, step by step
Sort the nouns (Section 396)
Read the twelve sentences. Your child makes two columns: nouns that name one, and nouns that name more than one.
The names (Section 398)
Nouns which denote a single object are said to be in the Singular Number.
Nouns which denote two or more objects are said to be in the Plural Number.
Change them aloud (Section 399)
Read each sentence in Section 399 aloud, changing the plural nouns to singular, like the book's example: "This leaf fell from the elm tree." Other words have to change too (is, its, this). Notice that.
Write (Section 400)
Your child writes eight of the sentences in Section 400 with the plural nouns made singular.
Check it gently
Read each new sentence aloud. Does it sound right? If a verb or "their" didn't change to match, your child hears it and fixes it.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
The foxes ran into the woods. / The fox ran into the wood.
The girls carried their baskets. / The girl carried her basket.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 396, one: man, field, boy, kite, dog, girl, sister, church, side, road, soldier, post. More than one: Men, fields, Boys, kites, dogs, girls, sisters, churches, roads, soldiers. Section 399: 1. I can hear the song of the oriole. 2. The boy is passing by with a skate flung over his shoulder. 3. The stream is running down the side of the hill. 4. The chickadee has come to the tree near our house. 5. I found this chestnut burr under the tree. 6. I have seen a bluejay carry off a nut. Section 400: 1. A squirrel likes to make its nest in a hollow tree. 2. The brown bud bursts its coat in the spring. 3. The ship has left the harbor and spread its sail. 4. A robin likes to build its nest in an apple tree. 5. The new year comes and the old year goes. 6. A spider is very patient in weaving its web. 7. Many a tree loses its leaves in the fall. 8. A bluebird built its nest in our lane. 9. The jay stole corn from my neighbor's corn crib. 10. The crocus is wondering when spring will come. 11. The tree is loaded with fruit. 12. This orange came from Florida. 13. The leaf falls fluttering from the tree.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.