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Grammar:Tutorial/Grammatical number
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There are three numbers: singular, plural, and double.
The following is a rule (but there are many exceptions from this rule):
- The plural of a feminine noun ending with ื is formed by replacing ื with ืืช.
- The plural of a noun ending with ืืช is formed by replacing ืืช with ืืืช.
- The plural of a noun ending with ืืช is formed by replacing ืืช with ืืืช.
- The plural of a noun ending with ืช but not with ืืช or ืืช is sometimes formed by replacing ืช with ืืช, but this case has many exceptions.
- The plural of some nouns (especially masculine) ending with ื is formed by replacing ื with ืื.
- The plural of the rest nouns (mainly masculine) ending with ื is formed by adding ืื at the end of the word.
Because the rule above has many exceptions, it is possible to identify whether the plural of a given noun ends with ืืช or with ืื only by consulting a dictionary.
The plural of the word ืืืช (โhouseโ) is ืืชืื. The plural of the word ืืืฉ (โmanโ) is ืื ืฉืื.
Double number forms are the same as plural. But double number means two things instead of an indefinite plural number.
Accordingly this book only the following words have double number:
- names of measures and numbers;
- words denoting pair-things (such as hands of a man).
