複數
Plural Forms

　

直接跳到所有格

　

大多數名詞只要在字尾加上字母 s 就可產生複數型。

  • more than one snake = snakes
  • more than one ski = skis
  • more than one Barrymore = Barrymores

但字尾為 -ch, x, s 或發 s 音的字，則須以 -es 來產生複數：

  • more than one witch = witches
  • more than one box = boxes
  • more than one gas = gases
  • more than one bus = buses
  • more than one kiss = kisses
  • more than one Jones = Joneses

此外，有些名詞的複數是不規則的。我們有時稱這類複數為變形複數 (mutated or mutating plurals)。

  • more than one child = children
  • more than one woman = women
  • more than one man = men
  • more than one person = people
  • more than one goose = geese
  • more than one mouse = mice
  • more than one barracks = barracks
  • more than one deer = deer

最後是，有些名詞的複數仍保持其拉丁語型態 (參見下面對 media、 data和  alumni 的說明)。

  • more than one nucleus = nuclei
  • more than one syllabus = syllabi
  • more than one focus = foci
  • more than one fungus = fungi
  • more than one cactus = cacti (cactuses 亦可)
  • more than one thesis = theses
  • more than one crisis = crises*
  • more than one phenomenon = phenemona
  • more than one index = indices (indexes 亦可)
  • more than one appendix = appendices (appendixes 亦可)
  • more than one criterion = criteria

*注意 crises 這個字的發音：第二音節發 ease [iz]的音。base 的複數是 bases，而 basis 的複數也是 bases，但前者複數的發音為 [besIz]，而後者為 [besiz]。

若干名詞在型態上似乎是複數，但都是接單數動詞：

  • The news is bad.
  • Gymnastics is fun to watch.
  • Economics/mathematics/statistics is said to be difficult.

數詞通常是單數，但如果某一數目群體內的個體係單獨行動，那麼它可以是複數：

  • Fifty-thousand dollars is a lot of money.
  • One-half of the faculty is retiring this summer.
  • One-half of the faculty have doctorates.

另有若干名詞本質上似乎是單數，但以複數型態出現且都是接複數動詞：

  • My pants are torn. (現今我們有時會見到這個字以單數型態 "pant" 出現，尤其是在服裝廣告中。)
  • Her scissors were stolen.
  • The glasses have slipped down his nose again.

當一個名詞係某物的名稱、書名或標題，或者被當做「一個字」時，不管這個名詞是單數型或複數型，它都是單數。

  • Faces is the name of the new restaurant downtown.
  • The term Okies describes the residents of Oklahoma during the 1930s.
  • Chelmsley Brothers is the best moving company in town.
  • Postcards is my favorite novel.

複合字在複數化時會產生特別的問題。複合字中被複數化的名詞通常在其字尾加 -s，但事情並非都是這麼簡單。Daughters-in-law 遵循這通則，但 cupfuls 則否。請參見複合名詞與修飾語來獲得額外的協助。

問題兒童 (Problem Children)

許多謹慎的寫作者堅持 data (資料) 和 media (媒體) 這兩個字係拉丁語複數，所以必須用做複數字。然而，這兩個字的拉丁語單數型態很少使用：datum 和 medium。現今許多權威人士贊成這樣的句子：My data is lost. 及 The media is out to get the President.

alumni (男校友) 和 alumnae (女校友) 仍然問題重重。男校友的單數為 alumnus，複數為 alumni；女校友的單數為 alumna，複數為 alumnae。在傳統的拉丁語中，男性複數型 alumni 可以包括兩性。但為了避免爭議，或避免引發不必要的困擾，我們建議使用 graduates (畢業生) 和縮寫的 alum (女校友或男校友)。

複數名詞的特例

以一個子音加 y 做字尾的名詞，必須將 y 改為 i 後再加 es。

  • more than one baby = babies
  • more than one gallery = galleries
    (注意這個字跟 galleys 的不同，後者的最後一個字母 y 的前面不是子音，而是母音。)
  • more than one reality = realities
    這規則不適用於專有名詞：
  • more than one Kennedy = Kennedys

以 o 做字尾的名詞又有其特殊的複數型態。

  • more than one potato = potatoes
  • more than one hero = heroes
    ... 然而 ... 
  • more than one memo = memos
  • more than one cello = cellos
    ... 如果 o 的前面是母音 ...
  • more than one stereo = stereos

以 f 或 fe 做字尾的名詞的複數通常將 -f 或 -fe 改為 v 後再加 -es。

  • more than one knife = knives
  • more than one leaf = leaves
  • more than one hoof = hooves
  • more than one life = lives
  • more than one self = selves
    然而，這也有例外：
  • more than one dwarf = dwarfs
  • more than one roof = roofs

另外還有所謂的集合名詞 (collective nouns)，當它們被視為群體時，它們是單數，若我們考慮的是群體內的個體，那麼它們是複數 (這種情況有時發生，但並不常見)。

audience
band
class
committee
crowd
dozen		 family
flock
group
heap
herd
jury
 kind
lot
[the] number
public
staff
team

因此，如果我們在談論雞蛋，我們可以說 "A dozen is probably not enough." 但如果我們在談論跟朋友參加晚會，我們可以說 "A dozen are coming over this afternoon." The jury delivers its verdict. [但] The jury came in and took their seats. 我們可以說 the Tokyo String Quartet is one of the best string ensembles in the world, 但 the Beatles were some of the most famous singers in history.

注意："the number" 是單數集合名詞。"The number of applicants is steadily increasing." 相對地，"a number" 是複數型："There are several students in the lobby. A number are here to see the president."

集合名詞都是可數名詞 (count nouns)，意謂它們可以複數型來表示：a university has several athletic teams and classes. 又如 the immigrant families kept watch over their herds and flocks.

One of the 這個片語後面的名詞 (做為介系詞 of 的受詞) 永遠是複數。

  • One of the reasons we do this is that it rains a lot in spring.
  • One of the students in this room is responsible.

不過，請注意：動詞 ("is") 與 one 一致，而非與介系詞的受詞一致；前者為單數，而後者一定是複數。

有兩種特殊的情況我們使用所有格符號加 -s 來產生複數型態：字母的複數及被當做字的名詞的複數。這種「被當做字的名詞」也要變成斜體字，但其字尾的 's 則不用斜體。千萬別使用所有格符號加 -s 來產生頭字語 (可發音的縮寫字，如 LASER，IRA 和 URL*) 及其他縮寫的複數。

  • Jeffrey got four A's on his last report card.
  • You've got fifteen and's in that last paragraph.
    注意：我們不可使用所有格符號加 -s 來產生本身就是字的名詞 (注意這與被當做字的名詞之間的區別) 的複數。例如，我們說 "ins and outs" of a mystery (一項秘密的內情)， the "yeses and nos" of a vote (贊成票與反對票)；此外，我們說 "The shortstop made two spectacular outs in that inning." 但當我們指的是被當做字的名詞時，我們首先將它變成斜體字 -- I pointed out the use of the word out in that sentence. -- 若有必要，則使用非斜體字的所有格符號加 -s 來使其變成複數 -- "In his essay on prepositions, Jose used an astonishing three dozen out's. 這一慣例並非受到各行各業一致的遵循；在閱讀報紙時，你會發現我們的例句被寫成非斜體字且去掉所有格符號："You've got fifteen ands in that last paragraph." 

    注意：下面的情況不可使用所有格符號來產生複數：
  • The 1890s in Europe are widely regarded as years of social decadence.
  • Rosa and her brother have identical IQs, and they both have PhDs from Harvard.
  • She has over 400 URLs* in her bookmark file.

每當你對某個名詞或某個字的複數型態有所懷疑時，查字典準沒錯。例如，有些字典列出 wharfs 和 wharves 都是 wharf 的複數。這是很好的辯論題材。

* 雖然 URL (Uniform [or Universal] Resource Locator 全球資訊網網址「一致或通用資源位址」的頭字語)是要被當做一個可以發音 (發 Earl 的音) 的字，還是要將三個字母分開來拼字 (U*R*L)，目前仍無一致的定論。但無論何種情況，它的複數都是拼成 URLs。


Guide to Grammar and Writing