Nouns having only the singular form. What should you know about them?

Everyone knows that nouns are inclined, that is, they vary in cases and numbers. But is the phrase from the song performed by Marina Khlebnikova sound correct:

A cup of coffee, I pour you invigorating pour?

There are exceptions to any rule. So, the word "coffee" refers to the noun non-deviating. It is not used in the plural and does not change in cases. Proper use is a “cup of coffee”. The topic of our article will be such exceptions - nouns that have only the singular form. Let's consider in more detail.

Nouns: number

It is not only in mathematics. Nouns also have a category of numbers. To know this means to use them correctly both in spoken language and in writing. Most nouns indicate items that can be counted. For this, in the Russian language there are categories of both singular and plural. The most difficult thing is to understand that there are nouns that have only the singular form, or, conversely, only the plural. At the same time, other nuances arise in speech.

So, there are cases when plurality is expressed in the singular form of the noun. An example is the phrase: "The enemy will not pass!". This clearly refers to the enemy army, and not one specific person.

There is a predominant use of individual nouns in the plural:

• gossip;
• rein;
• skiing.

Although this is a variable in numbers part of speech, the use of words is quite acceptable:

• gossip;
• rein;
• ski.

Most often, the following nouns do not have the plural form:

• material;
• collective;
• distracted;

Consider this in more detail using examples.

Designation of a substance, material

What are these words? Singular nouns denoting objects with real meaning. There are quite a lot of them, which is confirmed by examples:

• sugar;
• milk;
• petrol;
• water;
• asphalt;
• cotton;
• ceramics;
• china.

You cannot form another form from these nouns, including the plural. You cannot substitute the endings -a, -a, -i, -y to them.

Singular Nouns: Collective Examples

The names of the sets of identical objects or faces are what we call collective nouns. They bring together those who have some common attribute:

• students (all those studying at universities);
• youth (part of the population under the age of 30);
• youth (young people from 14 years old to 21 years old);
• childhood (from 0 to 18 years).

Collective nouns, having only the singular form, can also apply to inanimate objects:

• foliage;
• spruce;
• Flora.

It just needs to be remembered.

Distracted Nouns

These are words that cannot be represented objectively, as well as counted. These include the names:

• qualities or traits (youth, darkness, dexterity, blueness);
• conditions or actions (mowing, chopping, fighting, anger, rapture).

How to learn to define only singular nouns? Examples of tasks will help to cope with the task.

So, it is possible to choose antonyms for words that, by analogy, also cannot be used in the plural:

• running around;
• force;
• aggression;
• stuffiness;
• honesty.

(Answers: walking, weakness, calm, freshness, falsehood).

From the literary text in three columns, you can write out all nouns according to the principle:

• used in two numbers;
• only in one thing;
• only in the plural.

Thanks to this, it will become clear that the first is much more.

Attributes: inanimate noun, own

The singular for proper nouns is more common. They are rarely used in the form of plurality. This often applies to surnames, if you have to select a whole group of people on the basis of kinship. Example:

1. In the small village lived only the Galkins, Lazarev and Ivanovskys.
2. The Kuznetsovs were distinguished by their enviable health.

If a proper name acts as a single subject and is inanimate, then it is mandatory to be used in the singular:

• Moscow.
• Volga.
• Mercury.
• Ural.
• Uruguay.

This also applies to composite names:

• "First channel";
• program "Around the World";
• painting "Mona Lisa".

But this is not a complete list. Of course, these are not all nouns that have only the singular form.

Should be remembered

In the Russian language do not have forms of plurality of words ending in -me. These nouns should just be remembered:

• crown;
• burden;
• udder;
• flame.

But a tribe is a tribe, a seed is a seed.

So, we list only the singular nouns, examples of which are presented in the table.

Another condition by which it can be determined that a noun does not have multiplicity is the lack of combination with quantitative numerals.